Both United States and United Kingdom have welcomed the announcement made by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa to scrap emergency laws imposed almost three decades ago to deal with the separatist movement spearheaded by the LTTE. A press statement by the US Embassy in Colombo said that ‘this is a significant step towards normalizing life for the people of Sri Lanka, and reflects more than two years without terrorist activity after the defeat of the LTTE.’ Similarly UK in a press statement today said that ‘this announcement marks an important move towards normalization and the strengthening of civil and political rights’. The Sri Lankan government on Thursday said that controversial emergency laws in the island nation prevailing for most part of the past three decades, to deal with the LTTE, will not be extended from next month. Making a brief statement in the Parliament , Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he is satisfied that there is no need to have the state of emergency any more, and therefore he is proposing to lift the regulation. Sri Lanka’s move to scrap the controversial emergency provisions comes as Sri Lanka faces growing pressure over its human rights record, particularly with reference to the war with the LTTE, which ended more than two years ago. Meanwhile, the State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said it ‘sets up a good visit’ for Robert Blake, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, who will travel to Sri Lanka from August 29-31. During the visit Robert Blake is expected to speak to a ‘broad cross-section of Sri Lankans, both to the government and to human rights groups’ and non-government organizations about the emergency law and related issues, Nuland said. He will meet government officials, civil society representatives, university students, and political leaders in the capital Colombo. She said he will also visit Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil heartland of Jaffna in the north.