HAVANA, Feb 19, SPA -- An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba'spresident Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power,saying he will not accept a new term when the newparliament meets Sunday, AP reported «I will not aspire to nor accept _ I repeat, I will notaspire to nor accept _ the post of President of the Councilof State and Commander in Chief,» read a letter signed byCastro published early Tuesday in the online edition of theCommunist Party daily Granma. The announcement effectively ends the rule of the81-year-old Castro after almost 50 years, positioning his76-year-old brother Raul for permanent succession to thepresidency. Fidel Castro temporarily ceded his powers tohis brother on July 31, 2006, when he announced that he hadundergone intestinal surgery. Since then, the elder Castro has not been seen in public,appearing only sporadically in official photographs andvideotapes and publishing dense essays about mostlyinternational themes as his younger brother hasconsolidated his rule. A new National Assembly was elected in January, and willmeet for the first time Sunday to pick the governingCouncil of State, including the presidency that FidelCastro has held for decades. There had been widespeculation about whether he would continue in that role. «My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to mylast breath. That's all I can offer,» Castro wrote. But,he continued, «it would be a betrayal to my conscience toaccept a responsibility requiring more mobility anddedication than I am physically able to offer. This I saydevoid of all drama.» Castro said Cuban officials had wanted him to remain inpower after his surgery. «It was an uncomfortablesituation for me vis-a-vis an adversary that had doneeverything possible to get rid of me, and I felt reluctantto comply,» he said in a reference to the United States. Castro's resignation opens the path for Raul's successionto the presidency, and the full autonomy he has lacked inleading a caretaker government. The younger Castro hasraised expectations among Cubans for modest economic andother reforms, stating last year that the country requiresunspecified «structural changes» and acknowledging thatgovernment wages that average about US$19 (¤13) a month donot satisfy basic needs.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/528429