ANKARA: Thousands of Turks yesterday [Dec 25] paid homage to Ismet Inonu, the man who helped forge modern Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and became its first Prime Minister. … The man Turks called the “Old Fox” died in his home … of a heart attack at the age of 90. Mr Ismet Inonu, who with Kemal Ataturk transformed Turkey from an oriental feudal state into a respected and modern Western nation, had been in serious condition since … last week. Thousands of Turks, including his bitterest political foes, lined the streets outside [his] Ankara home to pay homage. … A Government spokesman said … Inonu’s body would … be buried in the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara.

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Tokyo,] the Japanese Government said today [Dec 26] it believed Arab oil producers regarded Japan as a “friendly nation” because of its “new Arab policy” towards the Middle East. A Government statement said Japan was resolved to make further efforts to promote friendly relations with the Arab nations. At the same time, Foreign Ministry sources said the Government was [considering] … sending Deputy Prime Minister Takeo Miki to the US … to explain Japan’s Middle East policy.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023