US, Egypt try to salvage relations

The United States and Egypt sought on Monday to repair ties strained severely by 18 months of rapid change in the Middle East, culminating in the last two weeks with Egyptian demonstrators overrunning the US embassy in Cairo and US President Barack Obama candidly remarking that the two countries were now neither enemies nor allies.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in a New York hotel on Monday night, the highest-level meeting between the once-stalwart Middle East partners since a video made in the US ridiculing Islam prompted violent Egyptian protests on the anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. US officials said their discussions sought to strengthen a relationship that both countries see as vital.

They particularly emphasized the importance of ensuring the security of diplomatic installations, said a senior US official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the private meeting and requested anonymity. Morsi was criticized for his slow initial response to the protests that ended with vandalism of the embassy and the US flag torn down, but the official stressed that US officials see the Egyptian government's protection since as reassuring.

Morsi assured Clinton that embassy protection was "Egypt's duty", the official said.

The meeting occurred amid a jam-packed schedule for Clinton in New York, where she is attending this week's annual gathering of the UN General Assembly and speaking with world leaders. Egyptian hopes of a maiden meeting between Morsi and Obama were dashed when the White House announced that the president would not be participating in bilateral meetings during his brief stay in the city. Obama arrived on Monday and was scheduled to leave on Tuesday after his speech to the General Assembly.