Monday, October 05, 2009 NEW YORK: The Obama administration says it is committed to diplomacy with Iran, but is reviewing the possibility of imposing enhanced sanctions. US officials stress they will not wait forever for Tehran to come clean about its nuclear ambitions.The White House says the latest round of multilateral talks on the Iranian nuclear dispute began well. Officials say they are now waiting to see if Iran follows through on the pledges made Thursday in Geneva.US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says the onus is on Tehran to adhere to the commitments it has made."If it does not, time is short. We are not interested in talking for talking's sake," said Rice. "We are not interested in interminable negotiations. They have to demonstrate conclusively that their program is for peaceful purposes."During an appearance on the NBC television program Meet the Press, Rice declined to discuss specific deadlines.
BAGHDAD: Nearly 500 U.S. Army combat engineers who specialize in clearing roads of explosives started shifting to southern Afghanistan."We are probably going to be the beginning of the influx you are going to see to Afghanistan," Lt. Col. Kevin Landers, commander of the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 4th Engineer Battalion, said as crews packed crates and cleaned vehicles for the flight to Kandahar.Obama has ordered 17,000 more U.S. soldiers and Marines to Afghanistan to bolster the 38,000 American troops already battling the resurgent Taliban."We are going to take this footprint out of Iraq," said Landers, whose battalion received word of its reassignment last month just after taking command of clearing roads in Baghdad of bombs and debris.
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