Politically, Washington has respected Austrian neutrality since Foreign Minister and then Chancellor Bruno Kreisky defined his вЂњactive neutralityвЂќ policy as very pro-Western after the signing of the State Treaty in 1955.Д®conomically, Austria continued to profit from the counterpart funds left over from the Marshall Plan. Austria was an important player among the Neutral & Non-Aligned states in the preparation and execution of the Conference of Security and Cooperation in Europe, culminating in the Helsinki meeting in 1975 that cemented European dГ©tente, and its follow-up meetings. Vienna was the site of important summit meetings (Kennedy- Khrushchev in 1961, CarterвЂ“Brezhnev in 1979) and long-running arms-control conferences (Conventional Force Reduction Talks), as well as the third host (with New York and Geneva) of important United Nations agencies like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

As a Cold War neutral state, it played a crucial role as a mediator and вЂњbridge builderвЂќ between East and West. HOLZNER В© HOPI-MEDIAДuring the Cold War, Austria was the superpowersвЂ™ вЂњdarlingвЂќ of sorts and saw itself playing a вЂњspecial roleвЂќ (Sonderfall). Secretary of State Hillarty Clinton and Austrian Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger at the United Nations Security Council in New York City, September 29, 2010.В (C) BERNHARD J.

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