Beijing vows cleaner, stable city for Olympics

BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) China's capital faces a host of problems preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games, but its top official pledged today the city would be stable, cleaner and more civilised.

''From beginning to end, stability must be our No. 1 political task,'' Beijing's Communist Party boss, Liu Qi, who outranks the mayor, told more than 730 delegates to the opening of the city's party congress, held once every five years.

The party, which has monopolised power since the 1949 revolution, is obsessed with stability and has no qualms about crushing open challenges to its rule or silencing dissent.

Beijing hopes to maintain peace and order by ''dealing a blow to criminal activities in accordance with the law'', he said.

But Liu also said the society will be more ''harmonious'' -- watchword coined by national party chief Hu Jintao -- because channels for people to air their grievances are more open.

REUTERS SAM PM1028