359 Million Advantages

In the twelve years since Turkey became a two-party nation, its Democrats and Republicans have quarreled savagely over every aspect of national policy save one--foreign affairs. Last week this time-honored truce was abruptly broken. The man who broke it was none other than ex-President Ismet Inonu, 73, successor to Turkey's late great Strongman Kemal Ataturk.

Inonu, leader of the opposition Republicans, was disturbed by the widespread reports that Premier Adnan Menderes was about to order his army into Iraq in the days immediately following the Baghdad revolt. Following the precept laid down by Ataturk, Inonu believes that it must be a cardinal principle of Turkish policy never to interfere in the affairs of the onetime subject peoples of the Ottoman Empire. He warned that hostility to Iraq was "not in the interests of our country" and roundly condemned the government for publicly approving the U.S. and British landings in the Middle East. "The interventions in Lebanon and Jordan are problems that don't concern Turkey directly. Our statements and attitudes have not increased the love of these countries for Turkey."

Before the week was out the Menderes government itself recognized the new Iraqi regime. But hard-driving Premier Menderes could boast that his militantly pro-Western foreign policy (which Inonu also favors) had at least 359 million concrete advantages. Meeting in Paris, the 17-member Organization for European Economic Cooperation agreed to extend Turkey $100 million in credit ($50 million of it from West Germany), thereby triggered promises of at least another $234 million from the U.S. and $25 million from the International Monetary Fund.

To get these desperately needed loans --Turkey's foreign indebtedness now runs over $1 billion, and many foreign concerns will no longer ship goods to Istanbul without cash on the barrelhead--Adnan Menderes promised to institute long overdue financial reforms, cut back on his grandiose economic-development program.

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