OSLO - THE five-member Nobel Peace Prize awards committee has named Thorbjorn Jagland of the Labour Party as its new chairman and Conservative Kaci Kullmann Five as deputy chair.

Mr Jagland is president of the Norwegian parliament, but is not running in September's national election. He was elected chairman on Thursday.

Committee members are named by the Norwegian Parliament for three-year terms. The other members are Aagot Valle of the left-wing Socialist Left Party, Inger Marie Ytterhorn of the Party of Progress and Labor's Sissel Roenbeck.

The number of nominations for the 2009 prize is being announced on Friday. The winner will be announced in October. -- AP