A friend has to state that its a tedious discussion (7)
I believe the answer is:
palaver
'discussion' is the definition.
(palaver can mean a discussion or conference)
'a friend has to state' is the wordplay.
'a friend' becomes 'pal' (pal can mean a friend).
'has' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'to state' becomes 'aver' (both can mean to declare).
'pal'+'aver'='PALAVER'
'that its a tedious' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for palaver that I've seen before include "idle conversation" , "Time-consuming business" , "Rigmarole" , "Commotion" , "'Flattery, empty talk (7)'" .)