Mohamed Osman Alnujomi was “officially appointed by presidential decree” as the secretary general of the commission that will supervise the January referendum, Suna reported.

South Sudan is expected to vote on whether it will choose independence or remain part of a united Sudan, with many believing it will opt to split Africa’s largest nation in two.

The commission’s work was previously stalled as both southern and northern leaders demanded their candidate take the post, but last month the south relented to allow a northern candidate.

Alnujomi, a northern former Finance Ministry official, was unanimously nominated by commission members earlier this month. Another referendum will take place simultaneously in the contested oil-rich region of Abyei, where residents will have to decide whether they want to be part of north or south Sudan.

The composition of that referendum has not yet been revealed.

Bashir has repeatedly promised since being returned to power in April elections that the referendum on southern independence will go ahead in January as scheduled.

Meanwhile, a ruling party official said on Wednesday a package of incentives offered by Washington to ensure the smooth holding of the referendum on whether south Sudan should secede from the north amounts to interference in Sudan’s affairs.

The US State Department on Tuesday offered incentives including restoring full diplomatic relations and allowing some nonoil trade and investment if Sudan held the Jan. 9, 2011 referendums on south Sudan and the disputed Abyei region on time and agreed principles on post-referendum issues such as wealth sharing and the border between north and south. The package also holds out the threat of additional sanctions against Sudan if progress is not made.

“Really this is threatening and giving a warning to the Sudanese government without any reason,” Rabie Abdelati, a National Congress Party official, said.

“If somebody is saying they will do what’s agreed upon there’s no need to say to him I am warning you.” He said the NCP was committed to holding the referendums on time so threats were not necessary. “This shows intervention in the domestic affairs of a country,” Abdelati said.

Abdelati said Khartoum was confused by Washington’s policy on Sudan, saying it heard conflicting voices from the administration.

US Sudan envoy Scott Gration is often criticized by Sudan activists in the United States for being too soft on Khartoum, a policy they say has yielded no tangible results with disputed and flawed April elections and little progress towards democratic transformation. “We feel that some institutions in the USA don’t have the same view and the same trend toward Sudan,” Abdelati said. “That is why up to now for us the stance of the US administration is not clear.”

He said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed a tougher line than others including Gration.

“This shows a conflict in the centre of decision making in the USA especially about Sudan - we don’t receive one message with one color,” said Abdelati.