Putin tells U.N. chief that Crimean vote entirely legal

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected Western accusations that a referendum on whether Ukraine's Crimea region should join Russia would be illegal, making clear the vote would go ahead as planned on Sunday. In a telephone conversation with U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, Putin "underscored that the decision to conduct (the referendum) fully corresponds to the norms of international law and the U.N. Charter", the Kremlin said. (Writing by Steve Gutterman; editing by Ralph Boulton)