UN chief Ban Ki-moon Friday hailed what he called a "new window of opportunity" in disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation as he met heads of UN agencies tackling the issues.

"Today there is a new window of opportunity in disarmament and non-proliferation," he told the meeting. "I am convinced there is much we can do to achieve our common goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction."

Ban vowed that disarmament and non-proliferation would continue to be among his top priorities in the months ahead.

"I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction."

He particularly called for a successful outcome to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference here in May.

"A successful outcome would strengthen confidence not only in the treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons," he noted.

The previous NPT review conference in May 2005 ended in disarray, with no agreement from the participants.

Review conferences have been held every five years since the treaty was ratified in 1970. There are currently 189 signatory countries to the treaty.

Ban said he would also attend the Global Zero summit in Paris February 2-4 and the Munich Security Conference February 5-7.

The Global Zero meeting will bring together more than 200 political and military leaders dedicated to the phased, verified elimination of all nuclear weapons.

The annual Munich conference is the most important independent forum for exchange of views by international security policy decision-makers.

The UN secretary general said he also planned to attend a summit on nuclear security in Washington in April.

He met here Friday with the new head of the Vienna-based UN International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano of Japan; the chief of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague, Rogelio Pfirter of Argentina, and the executive secretary of the Vienna-based Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, Tibot Toth of Hungary.