UN special envoy in Kabul

The United Nations special envoy for Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, is in Kabul for talks with the ruling Taleban.

Mr Vendrell said that despite the recent fighting, the UN still believed in a political settlement between the Taleban and its northern-based opponents.

He said he would be reporting to the United Nations Security Council and the Six-Plus-Two group -- a UN-sponsored organization which includes Afghanistan's six neighbours as well as the United States and Russia, and is looking at ways of bringing peace to the country.

In recent weeks Taleban forces have captured several key areas of the north-east.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service