Site of Macao Handover Ceremony Decided กก Chief officials of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Liaison Group (JLG) said on February 10 that they have reached a consensus on the site of Macao's power transfer ceremony which will be launched at zero hour of December 20 this year. A provisional building will be constructed on a patch of land not far away from the Hong Kong-Macao Ferry Terminal. The land is owned by the current Macao government. "The consensus is reached following conscientious and responsible consultations between the two sides of the JLG," said Han Zhaokang, chief representative of the Chinese side of the Sino-Portuguese JLG. "The provisional building with meticulous design and construction will be able to meet the requirements of a solemn and decent hand-over ceremony," Han said. He noted that experts from both sides will soon start consultations on the detailed design and construction of the project. In addition, the two sides have agreed to build some other permanent facilities which commemorate the power transfer. Relevant expenses of the provisional building will be undertaken by the Macao government, said Antonio Santana Carlos, chief representative of the Portuguese side of the JLG, adding that the sum of expenses will not be too large. TopNews 1999-02-11 Page1