Acting Cuban President Raul Castro gestures at the end of the closing ceremony the summit of Non-Aligned nations in Havana yesterday. - Reuters

HAVANA (AP):

Acting President Raul Castro is giving Cubans and the world a preview of how he may lead if his brother Fidel does not return to power: efficiently and with little fanfare.

Addressing leaders from developing nations, he gave several speeches this week calling for unity against 'imperialist' United States policies, but with none of Fidel's passionate gestures. "With this summit the world has discovered more about who Raul Castro is," said Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque.

Opportunity

Dressed in a dark suit rather than his typical olive green uniform, Raul Castro has been visible at the summit, his first real opportunity to appear as a statesman since his 80-year-old brother fell ill in late July and underwent intestinal surgery. Though he seemed a bit stiff on Thursday while presiding over the Group of 15 meeting on the summit sidelines, he soon settled into the businesslike operating style he's long been known for as Defence Minister.

"Raul must be congratulated" for successfully managing the gathering of more than 100 nations, Panamanian President Martin Torrijos said. "The way the event has gone shows that he has been on top of things."

This week, Raul also met with the leaders of South Africa, Mali, Vietnam, Algeria and Malaysia, which handed the three-year chairmanship of the Non-aligned Movement to Cuba.