"If Croatia continues to work with the same resolve and intensity, I am confident that he can be transferred to The Hague soon," the Chief Prosecutor wrote in her "Assessment of the Cooperation provided by Croatia", which she submitted to European Union officials in Luxembourg on Monday.
"Judging by the statements of Croatia's most senior officials, by the considerable resources engaged in the operation, and by the orders given to the various services, Croatia's Government appears to possess the political will to locate, arrest and transfer the fugitive. Translating this determination into tangible results, meaning to have Gotovina in The Hague, remains the key challenge," her report reads.
"To conclude, I can confirm that Croatia is responding in a satisfactory manner to all my requests. Intense exchanges are taking place on a daily basis to locate and arrest Ante Gotovina," she wrote, adding that "it is essential that Croatia continues to work with the same intensity, independently of any political development, internal or external."
Del Ponte said that her conclusions were based on over 130 reports which Croatian services had sent her this year and on her almost daily communication with the country's Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic and through contacts with other Croatian and international sources.
According to her, after "serious weaknesses" which were found in the functioning of Croatian intelligence services in the first half of 2005, cooperation was recently significantly improved.
Del Ponte also commended "efforts being made against the network" of Gotovina's supporters.
Her report reads that according to sources outside of the Croatian Government, Gotovina is in Croatia or in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and there are indications that he may be hiding in a Franciscan monastery. "My visit to the Vatican on 1st July only confirmed the lack of willingness by the Holy See to cooperate with the ICTY."
She reiterated that Croatia had always successfully cooperated regarding the delivery of documents and witnesses.
"The judicial cooperation continues to run smoothly."
The ICTY chief prosecutor also admitted that the Croatian authorities "have played an important role in the operation that led to the arrest of (Bosnian Serb war crimes indictee) Milan Lukic in Argentina" in August this year.