GRS 520
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIALTOP COPY
HKK040/57
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
13 DEC 1984
327
see
417
see
FROM PEKING 130912Z DEC 84*
52
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
see
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2970 OF 13/12/84 INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
339
Spe
w
(324
1742.
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YOUR TELNOS 1531 AND 1539:
PRIME MINISTER VISIT:
SIGNATURE CEREMONY
1. BLUNT CALLED ON ZHANG YU THIS AFTERNOON TO CONFIRM AN AGREEMENT TO THE CHINESE PROPOSALS FOR THE SIGNATURE PROCEDURES (MY TEL NO 2945)
2. BLUNG ASKED IF THE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY WOULD SOON BE AVAILABLE. ZHANG SAID THAT A NUMBER OF POINTS REMAINED TO BE SETTLED. BUT HE GAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION, WHICH HE MADE CLEAR WAS ONLY HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE LATEST THINKING.
3. THE CEREMONY WAS LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE AT 1730 (LOCAL) IN THE SAME ROOM OF THE GREAT HALL IN WHICH THE INITIALLING CEREMONY TOOK PLACE. THE CEREMONY ITSELF WOULD BE BROADLY SIMILAR TO THE INITIALLING CEREMONY. THE PRIME MINISTER AND HER PARTY WOULD BE GREETED IN AN ANTEROOM BY DENG XIAOPING AND ZHAO ZIYANG. THE TWO DELEGATIONS WOULD THEN TAKE THEIR PLACES IN THE HALL. ZHAO WOULD BE ON THE LEFT HAND END OF THE SIGNATURE TABLE (FACING INTO THE ROOM), WITH THE PRIME MINISTEP ON HIS RIGHT. THE CHINESE DELEGATION WOULD BE BEHIND ZHAO AND THE BRITISH DELEGATION BEHIND THE PRIME MINISTER. LADY HOWE AND LADY EVANS (SEC MY IFT) WOULD PROBABLY BE PLACED TO THE RIGHT OF THE SIGNATURE TABLE (STILL FACING INTO THE ROOM), BESIDE THE MICROPHONE FOR THE INTERPRETERS. THE PRESS WOULD BE RANGED IN FRONT OF THE SIGNATURE TABLE. THE OBSERVERS WERE LIKELY TO BE PLACED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SIGNATURE TABLE ON ZHAO'S END OF IT. THEY WOULD BE IN ROWS, FILLING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PRESS AND THE SIGNATURE TABLE. (BLUNT TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPEAT THAT WE CONSIDERED IT ESSENTIAL FOR SIR S Y CHUNG AND MR LOBU TO BE GIVEN A POSITION CONSONANT WITH THEIR RANK AND SU TO APPEAR IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE OBSERVERS. HE ADDED THAT WE HOPED THE REMAINS UNOFFICIALS WOULD ALSO BE GIVEN A SUITABLY PROMINENT POSITION: ZHANG SAID HE WAS SURE THAT PROTOCOL DEPT WOULD SE MAKING APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS'' FOR THE UNOFFICIALS). ZHANG SAID THAT THE CHINESE DELEGATION FOR THE SIGNATURE BEHIND ZHAO WOULD HUMDER ABOUT 30.
CONFIDENTIAL
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