Del Ponte will submit her report at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday. She is expected to address the ministers in the afternoon and hold a press conference later in the day.
In its opinion on Croatia's application for EU membership released this spring, the European Commission said that del Ponte was fully satisfied with Croatia's cooperation with the tribunal.
An EU source has told Hina on condition of anonymity that it would be "a big mistake" for Croatia to think that this assessment ended the story with the Hague tribunal.
The Commission released its opinion, which was partly positive also because del Ponte had expressed her satisfaction with Croatia's cooperation, and now it will be interested in hearing her assessment of the latest developments, the source said.
Asked what would happen if Croatia failed to arrest fugitive general Ante Gotovina by November, when del Ponte is scheduled to submit a report to the UN Security Council, and how it could affect the decision of the European Council in December with respect to setting a date for the start of membership talks, the source said: "Let's wait to see what the prosecutor will say."
Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said earlier this week he did not expect any surprises in del Ponte's report to the EU Council. "I believe that the report by Carla del Ponte on Croatia will be fair just as it was in the spring and I do not expect any surprises," Zuzul said.
At the Council meeting on Monday, the European Commission will present reports on Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and a pre-accession strategy for Croatia, the documents it released last Wednesday.
Slovene Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl has announced that he will acquaint the EU Council with the latest incidents in the Bay of Savudrija, which the Slovenes refer to as the Bay of Piran.