Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, special representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao will leave Beijing for Turkmenistan on Saturday to attend the funeral of Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov.

President Hu sent a message of condolences Thursday to Turkmenistan's acting President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov over the death of Niyazov.

Hu's message, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed "deep-felt" condolences on the death of Turkmenistan's President Niyazov and "sincere" sympathies to the government and people of Turkmenistan and the president's family.

Niyazov, 66, died early Thursday of a heart attack.

Source: Xinhua