Diplomats gather to mark Austria's birth of freedom

Foreign ministers from 11 countries, including three from the East bloc, began arriving here Wednesday for the two-day celebration marking Austria's 25th year of postwar independence, Monitor special correspondent Eric Bourne reports. The United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union signed the treaty here in 1955 that ended their postwar occupation of the country and led to Austria's recognized neutrality. The highlight of the occasion will be a meeting on Friday between US Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko.