CAIRO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alaa Hadidi voiced Egypt's regret for selection of the date to execute ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein during a major religious holiday, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported.

    The spokesman said that Saddam was hanged on the first day of Eid al-Adha (Greater Bairam) and during hajj with no regard to sentiments of Muslims worldwide or the sanctity of the Muslim occasion which represents an opportunity for mercy and tolerance.

    Hadidi hoped that Saddam's execution would not further deteriorate the situation in the war-torn country.

    Saddam, born on April 28, 1937 and deposed in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, was executed by hanging at dawn on Saturday for crimes against humanity.

    He was handed over on Friday to the Iraqi authorities from a U.S. camp near Baghdad International Airport where he had been held.

    Hours after the Iraqi government executed Saddam, a series of bombing attacks hit Iraq, killing nearly 50 persons and injuring at least 77 others.