The World : Chile Lifts Emergency Rule

Chile’s military government said it will lift the state of emergency that was imposed after the 1973 coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power. Interior Minister Sergio Fernandez, who made the announcement, said Pinochet approved a resolution lifting the rules restricting freedom of assembly and other rights. The action, which government sources said could take effect as early as today, was made by the ruling junta less than a week before it is scheduled to select a candidate for a plebiscite on the future of military rule. Pinochet, 72, is expected to be the junta’s choice in the voting, tentatively set for October. The lifting of the state of emergency has been a key demand of the opposition.