The State Treaty signed on May 15, 1955 was "a very great day for Austria" President Heinz Fischer said as the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of postwar independence Sunday, dpa reported. Speaking in the Upper Belvedere Palace, where the treaty was signed with the four World War II allies, Fischer said the starting point had been ten years earlier, in April and May 1945 with the defeat of Hitler. Austria had been liberated, the republic restored, and reconstruction had begun. The military defeat of Hitler had been tied to the presence of Allied occupation troops in Vienna. But joy at the end of dictatorship and war was outweighed by the fact that Austria only had limited sovereignty. It took a further 10 years before the State Treaty saw the pullout of occupation forces. Fischer thanked the Allies for their sacrifices in liberating the country, and their contributions to reconstruction. He also thanked the countries which had granted asylum to Austrians during the Nazi era, and those that after the war had offered Austrian children recuperation holidays. --More 2224 Local Time 1924 GMT
