By Margarita Antidze TBILISI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A referendum on Sunday to endorse the self-proclaimed independence of Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia will produce a flurry of angry rhetoric but no solution to one of the ex-Soviet Union's "frozen conflicts." The separatist statelet of about 70,000 people threw off Georgian rule in a war that ended 14 years ago. It will ask voters to re-affirm their support for a split that Georgia condemns as illegal and has vowed to reverse. "We are conducting this referendum for ourselves and the whole of the international community to confirm once again that we want independence," Boris Chochiyev, Emergencies Minister in the separatist administration, told Reuters on Thursday. But Georgia is unmoved. "We do not recognise the legitimacy of this vote," said Giorgy Arveladze, chief of staff to Georgia's pro-Western President Mikhail Saakashvili. Georgia's conflict with South Ossetia -- and a second breakaway region of Abkhazia -- have pitted it against Moscow. Most residents hold Russian passports and Georgia accuses Moscow of effectively annexing the regions. The referendum comes as relations between Moscow and Tbilisi are at rock bottom. Russia cut transport links last month after a spying row and it now says it may cut gas supplies unless Georgia agrees to a twofold price increase. The "Yes" vote is almost certain to win by a big margin but analysts question what impact it will have. "This referendum will provoke another flare-up of rhetoric between the two sides but I do not think it will change anything of substance," said Fyodor Lyukanov, editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs. Moscow has warned if Kosovo wins independence from Serbia, it could use that as a precedent to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But Lyukanov said that was posturing: the Kremlin thinks granting recognition is too risky. Despite a 1992 ceasefire, gun fights still flare up in the rolling, wooded hinterland around the separatists' territory, in the foothills of the snow-covered Caucasus mountains. Some observers predict new violence this weekend, though a Reuters reporter in South Ossetia this week said there was no sign of increased military activity. The referendum has already underlined the international divisions over South Ossetia. In Russia, Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov stopped short of recognising the vote, but said it would send "an important signal to Tbilisi." Washington said the vote would "exacerbate tensions", while the European Union said it had no significance. South Ossetians will also vote on Sunday in a presidential election. Incumbent Eduard Kokoity has no serious rivals. Residents in Georgian villages dotted around the region can vote in an alternative ballot, with pro-Tbilisi politician Dmitry Sanakoyev the favourite. The separatists said that vote is a ploy by Tbilisi to split their ranks.
