"On 18 November, 14 years ago today, Vukovar was unfortunately completely occupied. Requests were made from the highest levels on the Croatian side for talks with the JNA on the evacuation of the wounded from the Vukovar hospital," Agotic said on the first day of his testimony in the trial of former JNA officers Mile Mrksic, Miroslav Radic and Veselin Sljivancanin.
The three men are charged with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war for at least 264 Croatian wounded and civilians who were taken from the Vukovar hospital and executed at the Ovcara farm outside the town on 20 November 1991.
According to the witness, the agreement on the evacuation of the hospital was reached at Croatia's urging and was signed in Zagreb on 18 November by Croatian Health Minister Andrija Hebrang, JNA negotiator General Andrija Raseta and the head of the European Community Monitoring Mission.
Asked by Prosecutor Aga Khan if the JNA had observed the agreement, Agotic said there had been a lot of hesitation and changes to the agreed evacuation route and that the JNA had not adhered to the agreement.
"Due to the urgency of the situation, Croatia proposed evacuation by boat to Hungary or by means of helicopters from neutral countries, but that was not accepted," said Agotic, a former national security adviser to President Stjepan Mesic.
Agotic, who also testified in the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic towards the end of June 2003, is scheduled to resume his testimony on Monday afternoon.