Del Ponte, who is on a two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina, told the press in Sarajevo on Friday five or six new indictments would likely be issued by the end of the year for crimes committed in various parts of the ex-Yugoslavia.
She declined to say who was currently being investigated.
Del Ponte confirmed she was willing to transfer several cases in which indictments were already issued to courts in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia.
She said six cases would be referred to Bosnia-Herzegovina, most likely in January, and one to Croatia and Serbia each. She added the cases referred to medium ranked officials.
Commenting on her recent criticism of NATO for lack of political willingness to arrest Karadzic and Mladic, del Ponte said she had referred to the highest political level within the Alliance and not units on the grounds. She added she was entitled to criticism even though NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had rejected it.
Del Ponte said the reality was that Karadzic, Mladic and another 18 indictees were still at large, and that it was inconceivable that they had not been arrested yet. She added she had the right and the obligation to point to that fact in the names of all victims.
The chief prosecutor said that unlike in the past, now there existed political will which was expected to ensure the arrest of the most wanted fugitives. She expressed her full confidence in the EU Mission to Bosnia, which began operating yesterday, saying she felt the arrests would be possible with the new structure. She also said the Hague tribunal's work could be assessed as successful only when all indictees were arrested.
Del Ponte said she expected the international community's High Representative in Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, to adopt measures which would force the Serb entity to cooperate with the Hague tribunal.