The International Whaling Commission (IWC) will seek to break a bitter deadlock between pro- and anti-whaling groups at a meeting in London this week, a spokesman said.

The IWC has called in Professor Calestous Juma of Harvard University, who has experience "in handling difficult international issues", to try to broker an agreement between the pro- and anti-whaling lobbies, the agenda of the meeting says.

Prof Juma will make a presentation to the meeting.

An Australian delegation will also take Environment Minister Peter Garrett's proposals to reform the IWC to the London meeting, which starts tomorrow.

Mr Garrett has proposed reforms to allow the IWC to scrutinise scientific research of whales and so stop Japan acting alone to kill the mammals in the name of research.

The IWC should also put in place a plan to protect whales from a host of threats including climate change, pollution, collisions with ships and fisheries activities, Mr Garrett has said.

The informal three-day meeting comes as Japanese whalers are locked in a struggle with conservation activists who threw acid at crew members of a ship participating in Japan's annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean.

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