Morsi gives security assurances to U.S.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi ensured the U.S. government that its personnel working in the country were safe, the White House said.

More than 200 people were reported injured Thursday in clashes between demonstrators and security forces near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, reports Egyptian news agency al-Ahram.

The embassy, in a statement Wednesday, advised U.S. citizens to avoid demonstrations in the country given the potential for violence.

A film produced in the United States deemed insulting to the Islamic Prophet Mohamed sparked outrage across the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the film as "disgusting," The Washington Post reports.

The White House said Morsi spoke by phone with U.S. President Barack Obama about the security situation in Egypt given rising anti-American sentiment.

"President Morsi expressed his condolences for the tragic loss of American life in Libya and emphasized that Egypt would honor its obligation to ensure the safety of American personnel," a White House statement read.

Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and members of the diplomatic staff were killed after the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked this week.

Morsi, in a statement from Brussels quoted by al-Ahram, said insulting Mohammed was unacceptable, yet quoted the Koran by saying "whoever kills a soul, it is as if he had slain mankind entirely."