DOHA - 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. REUTERS