<span style="color: #222222;">The US has welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency in Ethiopia and called for the release of detainees.<br />''<br />''US State Department spokesman Ned Price said lifting the emergency was another important step Ethiopia's government was taking, paving the way for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.<br />''<br />''Mr Price said that they urge that this move be immediately followed by the release of all individuals arrested or detained without charge under the state of emergency.<br />''<br />''The emergency decree was passed in November last year for six months as an alliance of rebel forces – including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) – advanced towards the capital, Addis Ababa.<br />''<br />''The government has cited an improved security situation and the economic costs of the decree as the reasons for its decision.</span><br />