Parliament is being asked to halt the investigation into the leader of the PD “Parliament should pardon Berisha.” It sounds somewhat strange, but it is precisely Spar- “Parliament should pardon Berisha.” It sounds somewhat strange, but it is precisely Spartak Braho, the Socialist deputy who throughout this period has been among the harshest in his stance toward the PD leader, who has called for the pardon of the former Albanian President, as a sort of precondition for an agreement that would bring the PD deputies back to Parliament. While he has described the meeting between Majko and Berisha as a pact between government and opposition, Braho’s statement that the “sins” of the man most attacked by the PS and the other government parties should be forgiven does not seem to be merely his personal opinion. On page 3

OPINION Limos Dizdari For some time, we have noted the complete lack of willingness on the part of the Ministry of Culture to respect its institutional obligations toward Parliament. The latest example is the absence of a representative even today, when the most important law of the year for the Government is being discussed. Mr Rama has appeared before this Parliament twice: once when he remarked that the deputies drink raki, and another time when he informed us that all of Albania is a chicken coop. But despite the lack of communication between our committee and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, we ourselves have held many meetings with central institutions, local government, various collectives, and a very large number of individuals. From these meetings we have concluded that there are a series of important problems that do not allow us to have a good impression. 1. Flagran[t] misappropriation of the budget at the National Theatre. The National Theatre is arbitrarily closed. 2. The National Theatre Festival is cancelled, despite being an important gathering in recognition of our national art. 3. A highly questionable stance on the issue of Butrint. An office was opened in Sarandë, thereby disregarding, almost to the point of contempt, the institutions responsible under the law, such as the Institute of Monuments and the Institute of Archaeology. 4. Arbitrary and unjustified dismissals of heads of institutions, such as the Institute of Monuments, the National Library, the deputy director of the Palace of Culture, etc. Employees are fired. 5. The Minister of Culture keeps approximately 200 cultural workers in municipalities on the public payroll. It is not known what they do, and I do not understand the position of this department, even though the independence of Local Government must be respected. 6. Cultural institutions have been dispersed and transformed, and flagrant violations have taken place, while the minister remains almost indifferent. The most glaring example is the Palace of Culture. 7. During 1998, foreign donors provided only 20,000 dollars from UNESCO for the “Marubi” photo library, and nothing else; for 1999 there is no agreement or promise put in writing. But despite the stance taken by the Ministry’s senior officials, who have made it look more like a non-governmental organization, we will again vote for the 1999 budget, even though we do not know how the 1998 budget was used, because we trust the Government and its high level of responsibility; above all, however, we trust all those artistic collectives and individual artists who are waiting for the state’s support and assistance to carry out their creative plans.

The man who makes children dream tells his story INTERVIEW / The character who poses on the capital’s sidewalks speaks The man who tells how he makes children dream Bujar Ramo, 44 years old. He stands in front of the Italia-Kum photographic shop, with a white beard, dressed in red and carrying a black sack on his back, inviting children to take home a nice New Year’s keepsake. On page 14

KAVAJA, THE CITY NEAR THE SEA, NEAR THE KING On pages 12–13