WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Unites States hailed the late Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang, who was purged after opposing the crackdown of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, as a "champion of reform" and "man of moral courage.

The US State Department recollected how Zhao had gone to Tiananmen in 1989 to talk to protestors on their demands for democracy, praising him for his "unique style of leadership." (boxun.com)

<ÍƼö£ºÔ·ÑÆð¼Û$4.99£¬Ãâ·Ñ´ó½»Ø²¦ºÅÂë¡¢ÈÎÑ¡ÃÀ¡¢¼Óµç»°ºÅÂë.µã»÷ÕâÀï¼ÓÈëÓÐ5ÃÀÔªÕÛ¿Û>

The White House, without mentioning the Tiananmen incident, called him "a man of moral courage who suffered great personal sacrifices for standing by convictions during difficult times."

Hundreds, if not thousands, of unarmed protesters and citizens were killed in the military crackdown, which had been condemned by the United States and many other countries.

To mark Zhao's death, pro-democracy and human rights groups held a rally late Tuesday in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington and called for an independent probe into the circumstances under which the Chinese leader had died while under house arrest.

Zhao had been seriously ill in a Beijing hospital for a month with a lung problem and lapsed into a coma on Friday after suffering a stroke.

"Mr Zhao was a dynamic and forward-looking leader, a champion of reform at a time of momentous change in China," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement.

"We well remember that in 1989, in Tiananmen Square, Mr Zhao went directly to the people of China, listened to their views, and engaged with them in a discussion about their desire for democracy," Boucher said.

"His love of country and unique style of leadership won him the respect of the people of China and around the world."

Boucher said the United States was moved by Zhao's death Monday and sent condolences to Zhao's family and loved ones, and to the people of China.

Zhao was purged as general secretary of China's Communist Party after he opposed using military force against the Tiananmen demonstrators. The United States and other mostly Western nations had condemned the crackdown.

Following Zhao's death, the Chinese government again defended the crackdown this week, saying it had ensured stability and set the stage for China's economic transformation over the past 15 years.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that Zhao "was a key architect" of China's open door economic policy in the early 1980s, adding that it helped transform the Chinese economy and brought the Chinese and the American people closer together through trade and investment.

Zhao was "a strong advocate of constructive US/China relations and will be remembered for his contribution to that as well," he added.

The US-based Free China Movement (http://www.freechina.net/), comprising overseas Chinese pushing for reforms in China, led a rally among various dissident groups Tuesday in front of the Chinese embassy to mark Zhao's death.

Shengde Lian, the head of the movement and among those who had led the Tiananment revolt, urged Beijing to allow an independent investigation by French group Doctors without Borders and other expert organizations into the reasons leading to Zhao's death.

He charged that "insufficent supply of heating to the confined place of Mr Zhao's house arrest during severe winter in Beijing" had led to the "collapse" of his health, and sought a "full explanation" from the Chinese authorities.

"Mr Zhao's death marks the sad end of hopes that true reforms could come from within the Communist party. The time has now come for the people of China to push for reforms from the outside," he said. Copyright © 2004 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse. _(²©Ñ¶×ÔÓÉ·¢¸åÇø·¢¸å) (boxun.com)