Beijing to `rehabilitate' former leader

The commemoration will be held at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square and is to be attended by 300 people, including current and retired leaders and intellectuals, most of them invited by Hu's surviving relatives.

There will also be services in Hunan Province, where Hu was born, and Jiangxi Province, the historical base of the Communist Youth League.

People close to the family said at least three members of the Politburo Standing Committee would attend the Beijing event: Wu Guanzheng (吳官正), the CCP's internal inspection chief; Vice President Zeng Qinghong (曾慶紅) and Wen.

Wen was prevailed on to make an appearance despite having expressed concern that restoring Hu's stature could lead to calls to rehabilitate Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽),who died in January. Zhao, another former party chief, was purged for siding with the protesters during the 1989 unrest.