VOTERS in Georgia's Moscow-backed rebel region of South Ossetia went to the polls today in a referendum on independence that has irked Tbilisi and complicated a diplomatic crisis between Russia and Georgia. Some 55,000 South Ossetians had 12 hours to cast their votes after polling stations opened in the early morning. "We are determined, and we will continue to try to achieve our goal by civilised and peaceful means ... until the complete independence of South Ossetia," unrecognised South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity told journalists after voting at a Tskhinvali polling station.Though the polls, like the republic, are not recognised by the international community, South Ossetia's de facto leadership has announced that the referendum is a first step to achieving international acceptance and eventual union with Russia. "The mass media of various countries have to pass on how much the people value their independence," Kokoity said, adding that he expected the current vote to confirm the results of a similar referendum in 1992.