Turkey has signaled its readiness to allow U.S. use of the Incerlik air force base as a hub for American military operations. The Bush administration has been informed that the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan was ready to agree to an expanded U.S. presence at Incerlik, officials said. They said Erdogan, who would require parliamentary approval, would allow the U.S. military to use Incerlik for missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. "I expect a Turkish government decision on Incirlik very soon," Murat Mercan, deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling AKP party, said. "I don't know exactly when, but very soon." During a panel discussion on Turkey held by the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, Mercan did not elaborate. But Turkish diplomats in Washington confirmed that Ankara has already relayed its readiness to approve the U.S. plan on Incerlik.