Germany bans portraits of Nazi-era ambassadors

Germany's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it was removing from its walls all portraits of pre-1951 ambassadors in a bid to eliminate associations with the Nazi era and would also have them taken away from embassies.

Holocaust survivors welcomed the decision, calling it "a symbolic signal of modern Germany's moral and political maturity", said Elan Steinberg, Vice-President of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants. The decision follows the publication of a book which reveals the ministry played a more active role in the Holocaust than previously thought. (Reuters)