| A controversial monument commemorating Estonians who fought in the German army against Soviet troops during World War II was removed Thursday, after the government said it damaged the Baltic state's image. The monument in the northwestern town of Lihula, financed by Estonian war veterans, had been denounced by critics who said it glorified Nazi Germany and its notorious SS units, which had many Estonian volunteers. Neighboring Russia and Jewish groups vehemently denounced the monument, which was erected Aug. 20. ``The government is of the opinion that, irrespective of the goals of the initiators, the monument in the Lihula cemetery, erected without the owner's permission on state-owned land, is detrimental to Estonia's reputation,'' a government statement said. |