Margaret Beckett made her international debut as Britain's foreign secretary on Monday, telling U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after their first meeting that she felt like she knew her already.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett (C) and British Ambassador to the UN Emyr Jones Parry (L) depart after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (not pictured) at the United Nations in New York May 8, 2006. Foreign ministers of the P5+Germany are to meet on Monday and Tuesday to try to hammer out an agreement about the next steps in attempting to prevent Iran from gaining access to nuclear weapons. [Reuters]

Beckett met Rice in the top U.S. diplomat's hotel suite in New York before the two were set to hold a dinner with other foreign ministers from the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany to discuss Iran.

"I have heard so much about you from my predecessor ... I feel as if I know you already," said Beckett, who was appointed foreign minister in a Cabinet reshuffle last week that saw her predecessor, Jack Straw, demoted from the key post.

Beckett, a former environment minister, said Britain would continue to have a strong relationship with the United States, one of its closest allies.

Rice, who had a close friendship with Straw and telephoned to wish him well after he lost his job, said the two women discussed their backgrounds and how they got where they were.

"We had a wonderful discussion and we are getting to know each other," Rice said after meeting Beckett.