The fate of Saddam Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali,” has been decided Friday by Iraq’s presidential council.

His execution has been approved by the country's presidential council, but no date has been set yet. Reuters inform that the date is expected to be set by the government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Majid acquired the nickname “Chemical Ali” due to his involvement in the mass killings of Kurds in northern Iraq during the 1980s. During the so-called Anfal Campaign nearly 180,000 were killed. During the operations, poison gas was used.

During the hearings, Majid seemed not even slightly remorseful for having ordered the massacre: “I am the one who gave orders to the army to demolish villages and relocate the villagers. I am not apologising. I did not make a mistake,” BBC quotes him as saying.

Majid was convicted last June by Iraqi High Tribunal chief judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah. Two others were accused of genocide, former defense minister Sultan Hashim al-Tai and former deputy military commander Hussein Rashid Mohammed. All three of them are held by the U.S. military. It has not received a request yet to hand Majid over to the Iraqi authorities.

Their sentence was upheld in September, and they were due to be executed within 30 days, but the execution was postponed by the Iraqi government until after Ramadan. But after Ramadan , President Jalal Talabani and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi refused to sign the execution order.

The three-member presidential council approved Majid’s hanging, but they did not agree to the execution of Saddam’s other two henchmen.

“There are different points of view regarding the others that need to be resolved,” a source close to the council told Reuters.

The council has expressed its opposition as far as Hashem’s execution is concerned, saying that the former general had only been following orders, and he should not be submitted to the same punishment.