HK govt hopeful for more talks with protesters

[HONG KONG] Hong Kong's government held its first talks on Tuesday with pro-democracy protest leaders after three weeks of mass rallies and roadblocks which have posed a challenge to Beijing, and said it hopes for more discussions.

The embattled leader of the semi-autonomous Chinese city extended a potential olive branch to protesters hours before the talks began, saying he was open to creating a more democratic committee to help choose his successor.

Government negotiators responded positively to the two-hour meeting and said they hoped for further talks down the line.

But student leaders were noticeably more muted, calling the government "vague" in its commitment to finding a compromise and saying they would need to consult before agreeing to further negotiations.

Several major intersections in the business hub have been paralysed since Sept 28 by mass rallies demanding free elections, in one of the biggest challenges to Beijing's authority since the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests of 1989.

Protesters are demanding China rescind its insistence that candidates for the city's next leader be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee before standing for election in 2017 - a proposal dubbed "fake democracy" by demonstrators.

Protesters want the public to be able to nominate candidates but the city's government has said China will never allow that.

Observers hope the talks, which were abruptly cancelled earlier this month and then resurrected after recent outbreaks of violence between protesters and police, will help find some sort of compromise.

During the discussions, government officials said there was still room to make the panel charged with vetting candidates for the city's next leader more democratic.

They also said they would brief Beijing on recent events and suggested both sides could set up a committee to discuss further political reform beyond 2017.

AFP