UN to explore appointment of envoy to engage Taliban with international community

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., February 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

DOHA (Reuters) - 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.

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.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills; editing by Mark Heinrich)