Beijing says democracy possible in HK in 2017

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China ruled out full democracy for Hong Kong in 2012 on Saturday, ignoring the majority opinion in the former British colony, but said it may pick its leader by universal suffrage at the following opportunity, in 2017.

Full democracy for forming Hong Kong's legislature would follow in 2020, the Standing Committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), said.

Qiao Xiaoyang, a senior NPC official, said it opted for a delay till 2017 to preserve Hong Kong's stability based on a principle of "gradual and orderly progress."

"This is the most active and progressive arrangement we can have," he told a forum in Hong Kong.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang welcomed the ruling, urging Hong Kongers to shelve their differences and work together to hammer out the details.

"We must treasure this hard-earned opportunity," Tsang told reporters. "I sincerely urge everybody to lay down all disagreements and start moving toward conciliation and consensus."

But the city's vocal pro-democracy camp, a key voting block in the legislative council, was disappointed at what it saw as yet another delay. It organized a protest march that drew a few hundred people outside the historic legislative building.

The decision to rule out 2012 was effectively the NPC's second veto of a possible date for universal suffrage after a 2004 ruling that quashed hopes for full elections in 2007.