Washington: The Pentagon on Friday decided to go ahead with scheduled talks with senior Egyptian military officers even as Egypt's army moved to quell a wave of street protests.
The annual high-level defense meetings were planned before unrest erupted this week, spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.
Lapan downplayed the possibility that the talks with Cairo's generals could send the wrong signal at a time when Egyptians were clashing with the police and army on the streets.
Asked if the meetings could create a perception problem, Lapan said: "I don't think so because ... we the department of defense have have had a long-standing military-to-military relationship with Egypt."
It was always "valuable to hear first hand from senior Egyptian military leaders," he added.
The week-long talks, which started Wednesday and will run through next Wednesday, will include numerous meetings and dinners covering security assistance, training, defense industry cooperation and other issues, Lapan said.
Sandy Vershbow, US assistant secretary of defense, is leading the talks for the Pentagon and Cairo's delegation is led by the chief of staff of the Egyptian armed forces.
