Shafiq, an ex-air force commander and presidential candidate, said earlier he had planned to return to Cairo in the coming days from his current location in the UAE.

:: The United Arab Emirates has denied reports that Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq is barred from travelling outside of the country in contrary to his previous comment to Al Jazeera earlier in the day.

Shafiq, an ex-air force commander and presidential candidate, said earlier he had planned to return to Cairo in the coming days from his current location in the UAE, as he intends to run in the presidential election early next year.

“The UAE confirms that there is no obstacle to the departure of the Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shafiq from the state,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash tweeted on Wednesday.