Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in a referendum which was tempered by signs that Tbilisi wanted to ease tensions with the separatists and their Russian backers.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili moved his hawkish Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili to a new post on Friday, in the strongest sign yet he wants to end a standoff that has dragged Russian-Georgian relations to an unprecedented low.

Sunday's vote was seen as illegal in the West and there were no Western monitors present at the poll, but Russia says it should be respected.

"More than 90 per cent of the people have voted in favour of independence for our republic," Bella Pliyeva, head of the region's election commission, said yesterday.

South Ossetia, a sliver of land in the Caucasus mountains, threw off Tbilisi's rule in a 1990s war. With its status unrecognized and a tense military standoff on its borders, it is now one of the former Soviet Union's "frozen conflicts."

The result of Sunday's vote was never in doubt but local people celebrated by driving around the separatists' capital, Tskhinvali, waving the South Ossetian flag and the flags of Russia and Abkhazia, another Georgian breakaway region.

It was the second time South Ossetia had voted for independence in a referendum, and analysts said the vote was unlikely to bring the separatists much closer to their ambition of winning international recognition.

European Human Rights watchdog the Council of Europe said the vote would not be recognized.

"The vote did nothing to bring forward the search for a peaceful political solution," said Council Secretary General Terry Davis, adding that it was "unnecessary, unhelpful and unfair."

Relations between Tbilisi and Moscow were damaged last month after Georgia deported four Russian soldiers it accused of spying. Moscow hit back by severing transport links with its ex-Soviet neighbour.

But Georgia's conflicts with South Ossetia and Abkhazia lie at the root of the row with Moscow.

Russia has strong ties to the separatists and has pledged to defend them if Georgia tries to reassert its control by force, while Tbilisi accuses the Kremlin of effectively annexing the two regions.

Senior Russian officials have described Okruashvili who promised to toast the New Year in South Ossetia as a warmonger. They cite him as evidence of Tbilisi's unfriendly stance towards Moscow.

Saakashvili said on Friday he was appointing Okruashvili Economy Minister to make better use of his managerial skills. He made no criticism of the minister.

But many observers said Saakashvili had decided his defence minister's bellicose image had become a liability.

"Tbilisi has put away the red rag," Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote yesterday, noting how Okruashvili had angered Russian officials.

"The departure of the main disturber of the peace is a signal to the Kremlin, a sort of ceasefire offer," wrote Russia's Izvestiya newspaper.

South Ossetian election chief Pliyeva, citing preliminary results, said the "Yes" vote was backed by 99 per cent of people who cast ballots.

Voters also re-elected incumbent separatist leader Eduard Kokoity by 96 per cent. Election officials said 95.2 per cent of about 55,000 eligible voters turned out for the polls.

Source: China Daily