Berlin: Zimmermann sums up Germany’s position in a conversation with the Belgian envoy. For Austria-Hungary, suppressing the pan-Serb movement was now “an existential question, of being or not being”. Serbia “had to receive a severe and salutary lesson by means of a military expedition”.
It was thus impossible now to avert an Austro-Serbian conflict.
Germany would support mediation to prevent an Austro-Russian clash provided that Austria-Hungary was not prevented from “inflicting exemplary punishment on Serbia”.