Beijing, May 29: China today spurned an appeal by families of people killed during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protest for reassessment of the military crackdown, saying stability remains the country's top priority. Each anniversary of the June 4, 1989 military assault spurs debate, at least in the dissident community, over the Communist leadership's condemnation of the demonstrations as "political turmoil" requiring suppression by force. In a letter to China's top prosecutor today, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, 117 family members renewed demands that former premier Li Peng, who recently retired as chairman of the national legislature and the Communist party's no. 2 leader, be held legally responsible for the killings. Li has been blamed by victims of the government crackdown because he declared martial law on national television two weeks before the military pushed its way into Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds and ending seven weeks of protests. Signalling the government's unwillingness to reconsider the issue, foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the Communist party leadership would stand by its earlier condemnation of the protests. "This conclusion will remain unchanged," Zhang said. "Stability has always remained the top priority for China." Human rights groups and family member of victims have been lobbying for what they call a "reversal of verdicts" in Tiananmen for years. Bureau Report