Fidel Castro broke his five-week silence to praise US President Barack Obama as a “man who is absolutely sincere”.

But the former Cuban President added that “despite noble intentions, there are still many questions to answer”.

Mr Casto's first public utterance for over a month helped dispel persistent rumours that the ailing 82-year-old was close to death. He handed power to his brother, Raul, in 2006 after suffering health problems.

His remarks were disclosed by Cristina Fernandez, Argentina’s President, who met the former Cuban leader during a four-day visit to the communist island.

Mrs Fernandez said: “Fidel believes in Obama. He told me he had followed the inauguration of Barack Obama very closely, that he had watched the inauguration on television all day.

“He had a very good perception of President Obama.”

The Argentine premier said Mr Castro called Mr Obama “a man who seems absolutely sincere, who believes strongly in his ideas and who hopefully can carry them out”.

Mrs Fernandez added: “I was with Fidel about an hour or more. We were chatting, conversing. He looked good.”

Hours later, in a brief essay posted on one of Cuba's state websites, Fidel Castro said Obama was “honest” in his ideas.

In a reference to the overthrow of Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, by rebels led by Mr Castro, he wrote: “I personally did not have the slightest doubt about the honesty of Obama, the 11th president since January 1959, when he expresses his ideas.

“But despite noble intentions, there are still many questions to answer.”

Mr Castro said the meeting with Mrs Fernandez had lasted 40 minutes. He was dressed in the tracksuit, which has become his trademark since he became ill.

Raul Castro, who took over the Cuban presidency 11 months ago, dismissed rumours about his brother’s health.

“Do you think if he were really gravely ill that I would be smiling here?,” he said. “Soon I’m going to take a trip to Europe. You guys think I could leave here if Fidel were really in a grave condition?”

Mr Castro, 77, disclosed that his brother spends his days “thinking a lot, reading a lot, advising me, helping me”. He added: “Now you know that Fidel is fine and not like the rumours around here."

Fidel Castro has not held a meeting with a foreign leader since November 28.

The Cuban President has said he would like to hold talks with Mr Obama. If such a meeting happened it would be the first between a US President and a Cuban leader since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

Mr Obama has pledged to ease limits on Cuban-Americans’ visits to the island and how much money they can send home to relatives.

He has also offered to hold talks with Raul Castro, but said lifting the US trade embargo was not a priority.

Cuba would view these measures as important steps to improve the frosty relationship between both countries.

But Mr Obama’s policies towards Cuba may be influenced by reforms which Raul Castro promised to bring in by next month.

The Cuban leader said last February that liberal reforms would be introduced within a year, but so far there has been little sign of this happening.

Former President Bush tightened sanctions against the communist island.

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