I think it
is due to the House that I should give in short narrative form the
position which his Majesty's Government have so far taken up. ["Hear,
hear."] Last Friday morning I received from the Austro-Hungarian
Ambassador the text of the communication made by the Austro-Hungarian
Government to the powers, which has appeared in the press, and which
included textually the demand made by the Austro-Hungarian Government
upon Servia.
In the afternoon I saw other Ambassadors, and expressed the view that as
long as the dispute was one between Austria-Hungary and Servia alone I
felt that we had no title to interfere, but that if the relations
between Austria-Hungary and Russia became threatening, the question
would then be one of the peace of Europe--a matter that concerned us
all.
I did not then know what view the Russian Government had taken
of the situation, and without knowing how things were likely to develop
I could not make any immediate proposition; but I said that if relations
between Austria-Hungary and Russia did become threatening, the only
chance of peace appeared to me to be that the four powers--Germany,
France, Italy, and Great Britain--who were not directly interested in
the Servian question, should work together both in St.
Pages:
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228