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3. THE TABLE AT WHICH THE SIGNATURE WILL TAKE PLACE WILL
BE OPPOSITE ENTRANCE TO THE HALL. PREMIER ZHAO WILL BE SEATED AT THE LEFT HAND END OF THE TABLE (FACING THE ENTRANCE) WITH THE PRME MINISTER ON HIS RIGHT. ZHAO WILL BE ASSISTED BY ZHANG YU (MFA). I PROPOSE THAT BLUNT SHOULD ASSIST THE PRIME MINISTER. THE TWO DELEGATIONS WILL BE POSITIONED IN ROWS BEHIND THE SIGNATURE TABLE. THE CHINESE WILL BE BEHIND ZHAO AND THE BRITISH BEHIND THE PRIME MINISTER. THE COMPOSITION
OF THE CHINESE DELEGATION IS STILL UNDECIDED. IT IS EXPECTED TO NUMBER ABOUT 30. (BLUNT SAID THAT WE WERE STILL CONSIDERING THE SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF OUR DELEGATION YOUR TEL NO 1560 DID NGT ARRIVE BEFORE DEPARTURE FOR THE MFA). PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT EXPECT LADY HOWE AND LADY EVANS TO BE IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE BRITISH DELEGATION BEHIND THE PRIME
MINISTER, NOT AS ZHANG YU HAD SUGGESTED,
TO THE RIGHT OF THE SIGNATURE TABLE. THERE WILL BE A MICROPHONE ON THE SIGNATURE TABLE IN FRONT OF ZHAO AND THE PRIME MINISTER AS WELL AS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SIGNATURE TABLE FOR THE TWO INTERPRETERS.
4. THE OBSERVERS, TOGETHER WITH ABOUT 30 MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG ANDMACAO OFFICE, WILL BE PLACED IN THREE OR FOUR ROWS OF ABOUT 40 PERSONS EACH (NUMBERS OF ROWS AND OF THOSE IN EACH ROW WILL DEPEND ON FINAL TOTALS) WHICH WILL BE ARRANGED IN A SEMI-CIRCLE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE HALL (FACING TOWARDS THE SIGNATURE TABLE). PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT EXPECT THE COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST ROW OF THE OBSERVERS TO BE THE SAME AS THE FIRST
ROW OF THE OBSERVERS AT THE WELCOMING CEREMONY. THE OBSERVERS WILL BE PLACED IN THREE LINES
ON THE STEPS IN FRONT OF THE GREAT HALL'S EAST GATE BESIDE WHICH THE WELCOMING CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE WE SHALL BE TELEGRAPHING DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THIS ON MONDAY).
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BLUNT REMINDED YANG OF OUR VIEWS ABOUT THE POSITIONING
OF UMELCO MEMBERS AMONGST THE OBSERVERS.
HE STRONGLY URGED THAT AS THE FRONT ROW WOULD BE
COMPOSED OF ABOUT 40 PEOPLE, ALL THE UMELCO
(IE NOT JUST EXCO) MEMBERS SHOULD BE
PLACED IN IT (AND IN THE FRONT ROW FOR THE WELCOMING
CEREMONY). HE UNDERLINED THE IMPORTANCE WHICH WE ATTACHED TO THIS PERENTATIONAL ISSUE. YANG SAID THAT THE HONG KONG AND MACAO OFFICE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ARRANCEMENTS CONCERNING THE OBSERVERS. HE UNDERTOOK, HOWEVER, TO REPORT BLUNT'S COMMENTS TO THEM URGENTLY
5. THE PRESS, NUMBERING ABOUT 200, WILL BE LOCATED IN
A SEMI-CIRCLE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE
HALL (STILL FACING TOWARDS THE SIGNATURE TABLE).
THE PRESS AND THE OBSERVERS WOULD BE SEPARATED BY A GAP IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE HALL.
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