Russia has said the referendum on independence for Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, is a "milestone" and called upon Georgia and Western countries not to underestimate its importance.The Itar-Tass news agency quoted the local election chief as saying preliminary results showed that 99 percent of the voters in Sunday's referendum backed independence for South Ossetia.
South Ossetia broke away from Georgia's central government in the early 1990s. The region previously held referenda on independence in 1992 and 2001, but their results were not recognized by the international community.
