Khartoum - Sudan's referendum commission agreed on a key post on Thursday, ending a deadlock which has stalled plans for the January 9 southern vote on independence from the north against which it has fought decades of civil war.

The plebiscite is the climax of a 2005 north-south peace deal which ended Africa's longest civil war.

But bickering over implementing the deal has fuelled mistrust and most analysts believe the south, where most of Sudan's 6 billion barrels of proven oil reserves lie, will secede.

Last month, south Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement said it would accept a northerner to take the post of secretary-general, ending a row that had paralysed the nine-member commission's work. The secretary-general is pivotal and controls the funds.

But the SPLM on Thursday accused the northern ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of trying to derail the January 9 deadline for the emotive vote. Observers say a delay could spark violent protests by southerners throughout Sudan.

At least four committees are tackling sensitive post-referendum issues including the division of oil wealth and defining citizenship but little progress has been made.