RADIANT-LOOKING SPLIT AWAITS POPE

( Editorial: --> 5342 ) SPLIT, Oct 3 (Hina) - The southern Croatian port of Split has taken a radiant appearance while awaiting the arrival of Pope John Paul II on Sunday. Znjan, a once neglected part of Split, where the Pope will celebrate mass on the occasion of the port's 1700 anniversary, has now fully changed. A plateau in Znjan, where several hundreds of thousands of believers from the Croatian South and the faithful from Croatia and abroad will gather, has been improved with a whole infrastructure of utilities. On the whole Znjan area the ground has been levelled and the roads built for better access. The downtown, particularly the streets along which the Pope will pass, have been decorated with numerous Vatican flags, Croatian flags, and flags of 1700-year-old Split. Pope John Paul II will grace with his presence the anniversary celebration. (hina) it jn/ha 031542 MET oct 98