Tunisia Says Washington Ties Unchanged after Anti-U.S. Unrest

Tunisia said on Saturday that the "irresponsible actions" of demonstrators who attacked the U.S. embassy during a protest over an anti-Islam film would not affect its relations with Washington.

The Tunisian foreign ministry said it had "full confidence" that "these irresponsible actions... will not affect the friendly ties" between Tunis and Washington.

"The security authorities are taking the necessary measures to ensure the protection of foreign missions and diplomatic personnel," it said.

Two people were killed and 40 more were wounded on Friday in clashes near the U.S. embassy in Tunis between protesters, mostly Salafists, and security forces.

A nearby American school was also ransacked and set on fire, along with several parked vehicles.

Tunisian police fired live rounds and tear gas to drive away the angry protesters, some of whom had thrown petrol bombs and stormed the embassy, in a suburb of the capital. Calm returned later as army vehicles were deployed.

The Islamist Ennahda party accused some "offensive groups" of hijacking the peaceful protest against the film deemed mocking Islam.

The party called for a "thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and instigators of violence" as it denounced the "repeated aggression against Islam and the Prophet Mohammed."

Tunisian imams and hardline Salafists had called Friday's protest outside the embassy to denounce the film posted on the Internet that has sparked anti-U.S. protests across the Islamic world.