Beckett met her Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, to discuss regional and international issues, the Qatar News Agency said without giving details.

Beckett was due to travel back to Britain after the meeting, the British embassy in Qatar told AFP.

On Wednesday, she visited the United Arab Emirates where she held talks with officials on a drive to impose fresh UN sanctions against Iran in a new Security Council resolution.

In New York, non-permanent members Qatar and Indonesia have proposed including in the draft a paragraph recalling the goal of a ”Middle East free from weapons of mass destruction and all missiles for their delivery.”