Iran said on Monday it had accepted an invitation by United Nations Secretary-General to attend talks scheduled this week in Geneva aimed at ending Syria's civil war, the student news agency ISNA reported.

"We have always rejected any precondition for attending the Geneva 2 meeting on Syria ... Based on the official invitation that we have received, Iran will attend the Geneva 2 without any preconditions," ISNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying.

Ban said separately he had spoken at length with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in recent days.

"Foreign Minister Zarif and I agreed that the goal of the negotiations is to establish by mutual consent a transitional governing body with a full executive powers," Ban said. "It was on that basis that Foreign Minister Zarif pledged that Iran would play a positive and constructive role in Montreux." – Reuters