HAVANA -- Cuba's vice president sai...

HAVANA -- Cuba's vice president said Sunday Fidel Castro would turn back to work in a not many weeks after intestinal surgery that forced him to hand through power temporarily to his younger brother.

Venezuela's president said Castro was gone out of bed and talking following his surgery as messages wishing the Cuban leader a quick convalescence poured in from Latin America's leading leftists and Elian Gonzalez.

Vice President Carlos Lage, in Bolivia to attend the country's constitutional assembly, was asked according to reporters when Castro would be back at work.

"In a not many weeks," he replied.

Cuban officials have provided no details and released no pictures of Castro since his surgery was announced last Monday -- fueling speculation around the world about his condition. His brother Raul Castro, the defense minister, also has not been seen in public since the announcement.

"How are you, Fidel?" Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said during his weekly TV and radio program, suggesting he believed the Cuban leader was watching. "We have reliable information of your quick and notable recuperation."

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