Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, on Thursday briefed the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.

The UN envoy said that she was cautiously optimistic about the potential talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, “I am cautiously optimistic that the talks between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban negotiation teams will indeed start in the next few weeks in Doha, during the month of July. As the two sides embark on what will likely be a long and complex series of talks, I have encouraged them to show the necessary flexibility and foresight, the commitment to peace and most importantly compassion for their people that will be needed to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”

In this program host Yaser Abrar discusses the topic with the following guests:

Mawlana Farid, political analyst

Aziz Ahmad Barez, political analyst