UN considers to appoint envoy to engage Taliban with global community

Antonio Guterres told a press conference that Taliban representatives did not accept an invitation to a meeting of international envoys.

The United Nations secretary general will begin consultations on the appointment of a U.N. envoy to coordinate engagement between Afghanistan's Taliban government and the international community, he said on Monday.

A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, (AP)

Antonio Guterres told a press conference that Taliban representatives did not accept an invitation to a meeting of international envoys to Afghanistan that he convened in Doha on Sunday and Monday.

Guterres added that he hoped Taliban officials would attend the next such meeting.