Former German president Richard von Weizsaecker

Former German president Richard von Weizsacker, hailed for his moral leadership in post-war Germany, has died, the president's office said Saturday. He was 94.
Weizsacker, a member of German chancellor Angela Merkel's  Christian Democrat party, played a major role in Germany's handling of its Nazi past, calling May 8, 1945, a day of "liberation" for his country rather than a surrender.