8 42. On December 18, 2003, the State presented a communication in which it informed the Court that it had appointed Ernesto Rey Cantor as Judge ad hoc in the case and attached a copy of his curriculum vitae. 43. On February 18, 2004, the President issued an Order in which he decided that the reasons had ceased, which had caused the Inter-American Court to suspend, by the Order of September 8, 2003 (supra para. 39), the public hearing convened on merits and possible reparations and costs, and the time limit granted to the parties to submit their final written arguments. Consequently, the President convened the Commission and the State to a public hearing to be held at the seat of the InterAmerican Court on April 21, 2004, to hear the final oral arguments on merits and possible reparations and costs, as well as the testimonial statements and the expert reports proposed by the Inter-American Commission. In this Order the President also informed the parties that they had until May 22, 2004, to submit their final written arguments on merits and possible reparations and costs. 44. On March 17, 2004, the Inter-American Commission submitted a brief in which it requested that the State should be reminded to forward the pending documentary evidence (supra para. 21), which had been requested on the instructions of the President (supra para. 19). 45. On March 19, 2004, on the instructions of the President, the Secretariat requested Colombia to present, by April 5, 2004, at the latest, the documentary evidence indicated by the Commission in paragraph 68 of the application, which had been requested on the instructions of the President and was pending submission (supra paras. 19 and 21). 46. On April 5, 2004, the State requested an extension until May 10, 2004, to present the documentary evidence indicated by the Inter-American Commission in paragraph 68 of the application, which was pending submission (supra paras. 19, 21 and 45). On April 6, 2004, on the instructions of the President, the Secretariat informed the State that the requested extension had not been granted, because the State should have submitted those documents by April 16, 2002, and because it was essential that the State should submit the said evidence as soon as possible, so that it could be incorporated into the file before the Court prior to the public hearing on merits and possible reparations and costs. 47. On April 7, 2004, the Commission forwarded a communication in which it advised that it had appointed Susana Villarán and Santiago A. Canton as new delegates in this case. 48. On April 13, 2004, the State presented a brief in which it referred to the documentary evidence indicated by the Inter-American Commission in paragraph 68 of the application, which had been requested on the instructions of the President and which was pending submission (supra paras. 19, 21, 45 and 46) and requested an extension for sending “the files that had been considered by the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney General’s Office and those that had been considered by the Cúcuta Regional Court and the San Gil Specialized Court,” because they represented more than “20,000 folios.” 49. On April 14, 2004, on the instructions of the President, the Secretariat requested the Commission to present any comments it deemed pertinent regarding