9 37. On January 19, 1988, the Commission, sua sponte and "determined to place all available evidence at the disposition of the Court," submitted receipt No. 318558. The receipt had a signature at the bottom reading "Francisco Fairén G.," and showed that a 1971 Opel automobile, Costa Rican license plate No. 39991 entered Guatemala at the border check point of El Florido on December 12, 1981. The receipt was submitted with the expert opinion of David P. Grimes, which points out some differences between the signature on the receipt and originals or photocopies of the signature of Francisco Fairén Garbi. The opinion concludes that "it will be necessary to examine additional current signatures," before expressing a final opinion. 38. By resolution of January 22, 1988, the Court authorized the President "in consultation with the Permanent Commission, to appoint one or more handwriting experts to determine the authenticity of the signature that reads 'Francisco Fairén' on the receipt" in question. The President of the Court appointed Dr. Dimas Oliveros Sifontes, a Venezuelan handwriting expert, to submit his opinion. 39. On March 2, 1988, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Guatemala informed the Court that, following an investigation carried out under its auspices and another by representatives of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the government "is unable to certify that Francisco Fairén Garbi and Yolanda Solís Corrales entered and departed from Guatemala in the month of December, 1981, as it had reported by note of October 6, 1987. Moreover, the Government of Guatemala is now of the opinion. . . (that) they never entered Guatemala, and that the report of 1982 is the correct one." The note emphasizes that "the lists of entries into the country through the border post of El Florido for the month of December, 1981, were not found among the records of the Division of Inspection of the Office of Immigration of Guatemala," and that "although the names of Francisco Fairén Garbi and Yolanda Solís Corrales appear on the lists of departures at the check point of Valle Nuevo for December 14, 1981, that list appears to be signed by Oscar Gonzalo Orellana Chacón, although the signature corresponds to that of José Víctor García Aguilar." Finally, the Government states that "therefore, the Government of Guatemala respectfully asks the illustrious Court to please consider that the current official opinion of the Government of Guatemala on this matter is that Francisco Fairén Garbi and Yolanda Solís Corrales never entered its territory" (underlinings in the original). 40. On May 31, 1988, the Government of Honduras submitted its response to the communication of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Guatemala, in which it adduced that the certification granted by the Office of Immigration of Guatemala on February 3, 1982, "cannot be rescinded by a mere opinion although it is the opinion of a government official." 41. On July 13, 1988, the Commission submitted that the communication of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Guatemala "constitutes the final and definitive reply of that illustrious government to the Court's inquiry . . . (which is) the result of an exhaustive investigation." 42. In that submission, the Commission also made some "final observations" regarding the instant case. By decision of July 14, 1988, the President refuse to admit those "observations" because they were untimely and because "reopening the period for submissions would violate the procedure opportunely established and, moreover, would seriously affect the procedural equilibrium and equality of the parties." 43. On July 28, 1988, the Court decided to request the Government of El Salvador to certify "whether in December, 1981, Costa Rican citizens needed a visa to enter that country" and "whether Francisco Fairén Garbi and Yolanda Solís Corrales had a visa that would allow them to enter El Salvador in December, 1981." 44. On September 21, 1988, the Government of El Salvador informed the Court "that in the month of December, 1981, Costa Rican citizens did not need a visa to enter our country" and