British foreign secretary visits Baghdad

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett arrived in Baghdad on Monday evening for her first trip to the country since taking up her post in May, the Foreign Office said.

Beckett said that during the previously unannounced visit she planned to hold talks about security and economic development with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other political leaders.

She was also expected to meet U.S. and British officials in Iraq, a Foreign Office spokesman said.

"We do not underestimate the challenges ahead," Beckett said in a statement upon arrival in the Iraqi capital.

The Iraqi government "has made a good start over the past three months. Continued hard work and determination is required to help build a stable and peaceful future for Iraq," she said.

Beckett's visit came amid news that two British soldiers were killed and a third seriously injured in the country, bringing the number of British personnel to have died there since the 2003 invasion to 117.

Britain has about 7,000 troops in Iraq, mainly in the Basra region in the south.

The Foreign Office did not give details of Beckett's itinerary in Iraq, citing security concerns.

Source: Xinhua