9 45. On the following day, January 26, 2000, the President opened the public hearing, during which the Court received the declarations of the witnesses and expert witnesses proposed by the Inter-American Commission and the State. There appeared before the Court: For the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Hélio Bicudo, Delegate; Carlos Ayala-Corao, Delegate; Manuel Velasco Clark, attorney-at-law; Cristina Silva, assistant attorney-at-law; Viviana Kristicevic, assistant; Minerva Gómez, assistant; and María Claudia Pulido, assistant. For the State of Panama: Carlos Vargas Pizarro, Agent; Jorge Federico Lee, alternate Agent; Virginia Burgoa, Ambassador of Panama to Costa Rica; Luis Enrique Martínez, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Panama in Costa Rica; Juan Cristóbal Zúñiga, Director, Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Iana Quadri-de-Ballard, Deputy Director, Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Juan Antonio Tejado-Mora, advisor; Juan Antonio Tejado-Espino, advisor; María Alejandra Eisenmann, General Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Harold Maduro, assistant; and Ivonne Valdés, assistant. Witnesses proposed by the Inter-American Commission: Ramón Lima; José Mauad; Rogelio Cruz-Ríos; Nilsa Chung-de-González; Manrique Mejía; and Luis Bautista. Expert witness proposed by the Inter-American Comission: Humberto Ricord. Witnesses proposed by the State of Panama: Guillermo Endara-Galimany; Guillermo Ford-Boyd; Carlos Lucas-López; Jorge De-la-Guardia; and Marta De-León-de-Bermúdez.