A week into paralyzing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, authorities and demonstrators are still at loggerheads as a government deadline to clear the streets approaches.
Both sides say they are open to talks, but each wants concessions from the other.
A student group said Sunday that it would restart dialogue with the government if police do a better job of handling clashes between pro-democracy protesters and people opposed to the demonstrations.
The protesters, many of them students, have blocked major highways in several key districts for the past week, challenging a decision by Beijing about how elections will work in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.
Hong Kong's top leader, Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, has called on the demonstrators to disperse by Monday so that classes can resume at schools and government employees can go back to work at offices surrounded by protesters.
In a statement, the Hong Kong Federation of Students said the Hong Kong government had sent representatives to contact its group, bearing the message that it wished to discuss the possible terms for a dialogue. The two sides had agreed on a meeting to discuss the format of future talks.
Addressing crowds at the protests, the federation's secretary general, Alex Chow, repeatedly called on protesters to "add oil" -- a phrase meaning "keep it up" -- as he urged the movement to continue.
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