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. News agencies [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.