Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Sunday evening that the citizens' demands for democracy are not in contradiction with the contents of the Fifth Report of the Constitutional Development Task Force.

Speaking at a press conference at the Guest House, Tsang said that it is observed that the central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government are actively leading the Hong Kong community toward universal suffrage in an orderly and gradual manner.

"We would not change our commitments to the universal suffrage, " he stressed.

He said the Package Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive in 2007 and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2008 offer a leaping forward point for Hong Kong's democratic development.

If the proposals are to be adopted by the Legislative Council later this month, Hong Kong's democratic development will surely advance instead of slowing down, he said.

Tsang said the implementation of the package proposals will not be in contradiction with the methods for selecting the Chief Executive in 2007 and forming of the Legislative Council in 2008 as well as the drafting of a road map and a timetable for universal suffrage. They can co-exist and supplement each other.

Source: Xinhua