ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)br br An international peace conference aimed at ending Syria's civil war will be held on January 22, the first face-to-face talks between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking to overthrow him, the United Nations announced Monday.br br The United Nations is hoping for a peaceful transition in Syria, building on an agreement between world powers reached in June last year. The deal calls for the warring sides to set up a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including over military and security entities, but leaves open the fate of Assad.br br It was not clear from the statement made by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon whether Iran would be invited to the "Geneva 2" talks. He did not take questions.