Castro says Cuba's ruling party has no internal struggle

HAVANA, June 21, 2008 (Xinhua) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Saturday that there was no internal struggle within the ruling party.

In an article published on the Cuban official website Cuba debate, Castro said he could not make a conclusion that the island nation's Communist Party has an internal struggle, as he is not and will not be the head of any faction or group.

Castro said his remarks on the European Union (EU)'s decision to lift sanctions against Cuba did not cause divergence among the leadership. In a previous article published on the Internet Friday, he accused the 27-nation bloc of "enormous hypocrisy" and called its actions "disparaging." "I wrote the article because I am still fighting. I did this in the name of the faith for which I have defended in my lifetime," Castro said. The EU agreed Thursday to lift its five-year-old sanctions against Cuba, which include limits on high-level official visits and the role of EU diplomats in Cuba's cultural events. But the bloc also demanded the country improve its human rights record. Castro, 81, has not been seen in public since he was ill two years ago. He resigned as president in February this year, leaving the post to Raul Castro.