The new United Nations special envoy to Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, has begun his first official visit to the country.

He said he would meet both the head of the ruling Taleban administration, Mola Mohammed Rabbani, and the foreign minister, Wakil Ahmed Mottawakil.

Mr Vendrell has already had talks in Tajikistan with members of the Afghan government ousted by the Taleban.

The previous UN special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, resigned last year after failing to secure a peace agreement to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service