Diplomacy: French Power Dining

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As the head of France's new conservative government, Premier Jacques Chirac has left no doubt about where he stands on major issues. But where does Chirac sit? For most of last week, protocol experts were trying to determine whether Chirac or President Francois Mitterrand should occupy France's seat at the opening banquet in Tokyo next month, along with President Ronald Reagan and five other leaders of the world's major industrialized countries. Both Chirac, the head of government, and Mitterrand, the head of state, will be attending the Tokyo meeting.

After much tugging of chairs, the President appears to have won. Chirac's office announced that his work load made it impossible for him to fly to Tokyo in time to attend the banquet. Instead, he will arrive in Japan the next morning. Mitterrand will be the man who comes to dinner.