U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have held talks that officials described as reaffirming and seeking to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Clinton and Mr. Morsi met late Monday in New York, where they discussed Egypt's economy and the threat of extremists in the Sinai Peninsula.

The Associated Press reported a U.S. official saying the meeting also emphasized the need for Egypt to ensure the security of U.S. diplomatic installations.

The meeting came two weeks after protesters angry at an anti-Muslim film produced in the United States scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, tore up an American flag and replaced it with an Islamic banner.

President Barack Obama said after the protests that the United States considered Egypt to be neither an ally nor an enemy.

A U.S. official said Monday that the two countries have moved past those tensions.

Clinton and Mr. Morsi are in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly taking place this week.

The Egyptian president will not be meeting with Mr. Obama, who is addressing the General Assembly Tuesday and not holding bilateral meetings with any leaders during his time in New York. The two men spoke by telephone earlier this month.