U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel "welcomed the end of the emergency law and curfew in Egypt." In a phone call with his counterpart General Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on Saturday, Hagel said the U.S. "values the rights of all people to express their views peacefully" as well as "the importance of continuing progress on the roadmap towards inclusive democracy," according to a Pentagon press release. The two leaders also stressed "the importance that the Egyptian and U.S. governments both place on the bilateral relationship and commitment to shared security interests." On Tuesday the Egyptian government announced an end to the emergency law which had been in place since August 14 when security forces swept away sit-in protests staged by supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi. The emergency law was initially due to last a month but was extended indefinitely later on