U.S. Embassy in Cairo open

CAIRO, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said full consular services were restored following a week of violent clashes over a controversial film.

Protests erupted at U.S. diplomatic outposts across much of the Middle East last week in response to a film produced in the United States that was deemed insulting to Islam. Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi criticized the contents of the film but said the deadly reaction was counterproductive.

Hundreds of people were reported injured last week when demonstrators clashed with security forces near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Morsi ensured the U.S. government that its personnel working in the country were safe, however.

The embassy, in a statement Wednesday, advised U.S. citizens to avoid demonstrations in the country given the potential for violence. Embassy spokesman David Linfield told Egyptian news service al-Ahram, however, that the embassy wasn't "fully closed for even a single work day."

There was no formal announcement on the website for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo of a restoration of services. Visa and non-emergency services remained closed as of late Sunday.