Havana ? Bolivian President Evo Morales has added his voice to a chorus of speculative references to Fidel Castro’s future, hinting that the ailing Cuban leader could return to power within weeks.

Speaking Sunday at a meeting of potato farmers in Cochabamba, Morales said Castro could make his return during an April 28 summit in Havana to commemorate the third anniversary of the alternative trade bloc known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas.

“It will be the opportunity to see the return of Fidel Castro to the presidency of Cuba,” Morales was quoted as saying in published reports.

For the first time since Castro announced July 31 that he had undergone emergency surgery and was passing authority to his younger brother, defense minister Raul Castro, the senior Castro’s supporters appear to be setting the stage for his eventual return to the presidency.

On Thursday, National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon predicted that Castro would be in “great shape” to run for president of the Council of State in the next election. “I’d nominate him,” Alarcon said.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais, also on Thursday, quoted Castro’s longtime friend, Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as saying that he and Castro had walked “kilometers” and discussed climate change and Latin American politics.