Hong Kong protests: Leung may concede to the demands of the pro-democracy protesters

Leung Chun-ying said that there is room for discussion and that the nominating body could be made more democratic

Indicating a possibility to concede to the demands of the pro-democracy protesters for the first time, the Hong Kong leader has reportedly proposed that the panel chosen to select candidates for the 2017 elections could be made "more democratic."

While speaking to the media just hours before beginning formal talks with protesting student leaders, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said that there is room for discussion here and that the nominating body could be made more democratic, reported News 24.

However, he also added that the ongoing dialogue cannot be tied up with the actions taken by the police and that they would do whatever is necessary to keep the situation under control.

On being asked if there was a deadline for clearing the demonstrators from streets, Leung said that the government had not received "any instructions from Beijing.