Then the prime minister raised the national flag over a gathering of former Maoist fighters.
Not so long ago, the idea of Mr Putin presiding over a gathering of free-market democracies might have seemed optimistic, but not altogether implausible.
The pope, who will preside over a gathering of cardinals next week, did receive a birthday torte at a small lunch with Vatican aides.
Later, scenes of Mr. Hussein presiding over a gathering of top aides were broadcast, but it was unclear when or where the meeting took place.
From October 15th Hu Jintao, who has led the party since the last congress, will preside over a gathering that offers him the chance to demonstrate his authority and explain his vision for China in the next five years.
Mr Cavallo's monetary plan was opposed by Pedro Pou, the head of the supposedly independent central bank, who was obliged to resign last week over a gathering money-laundering scandal.
Mr. Ballmer and Bill Gates, the chairman, presided over a gathering in a Times Square theater to celebrate Vista's arrival, along with industry partners, analysts, and early Vista users, or beta testers.
But very early in its history, Sandro Botticelli's depiction of the goddess Venus, raising her hand in blessing over a gathering of mythological followers, acquired the name it bears today: La Primavera.
One afternoon last spring, President Obama sat on a stage at La Cervecería, a high-ceilinged beer hall on Havana Harbor, where he had been invited to preside over a gathering billed as "an entrepreneurship and opportunity event".
G.M. and the privately held AM General, which jointly produce and sell Hummers, were introducing the H2, a Hummer for yuppies, and had invited their most famous customer to preside over a gathering of like-minded Hummer owners.
In his Garden of Love (c. 1630 32), a marital allegory imbued with personal significance, an invented statue of Venus presides over a gathering of lovers, while in his more archaeological Feast of Venus (c. 1636) another statue of Venus presides over a clamorous pagan bacchanal.
