Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein reacts in court during the Anfal genocide trial in Baghdad December 21, 2006. -Xinhua/Reuters

A top Iraqi official said Friday Saddam Hussein will be executed between 5:30 am to 6 am on Saturday, an Iraqi television reported.

The television Freedom Iraq quoted an Iraqi official as saying that the former president would be hanged at dawn Saturday between 5:30 a.m.(0230GMT) to 6 a.m. (0300 GMT).

Earlier, Al-Jazeera English TV channel reported that Saddam would be executed before 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) Saturday.

A top Iraqi government official was quoted by the TV channel as saying that Saddam would be executed before 6 a.m. Saturday, local time (0300 GMT).

The time was agreed upon during an emergency cabinet meeting between U.S. and Iraqi officials, according to the official, who said on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi appeals court announced that the court had upheld the death sentence for Saddam and he would be executed within 30 days.