Confusion surrounds Ahmed Shafik’s fate in the UAE

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and the UAE’s International Minister have issued contradictory statements over the dilapidated’s fate in the country.

Shafiq claimed on Wednesday to have been steer clear off from leaving the UAE after announcing his intent to contest the Egyptian presidential elections expected to grab web thunder subsequent yr, but the Emirati minister of negate for foreign minister disputes that.

In a series of Tweets dreary on Wednesday night time, Anwar Gargash, acknowledged there turned into once « no obstacle » to Shafiq’s departure from the UAE. 

Shafiq, who fled Egypt to the UAE in 2012 after shedding the country’s first freely contested election, had claimed that UAE officials had steer clear off him from leaving the country and embarking on a tour of Egyptian expatriate communities.

« I reject any intervention in Egypt’s affairs by stopping me from participating in a constitutional factual and a holy mission to lend a hand my country, » Shafiq acknowledged in an outlandish video message to Al Jazeera.

« I name on the UAE leaders to explain the lifting of any restrictions on my ability to toddle, » he acknowledged.

Gargash hit reduction at Shafiq’s « lack of gratitude » in a tweet printed at the moment after the video turned into once broadcast.

« (Shafiq) took refuge in the UAE and ran a ways from Egypt after the implications of the 2012 presidential election. We presented him with every facility and suitable hospitality despite our extreme reservations about some of his positions, » Gargash acknowledged.

After shedding the closely contested 2012 election to Mohamed Morsi, Shafiq fled to the UAE. He turned into once placed on trial in absentia in Egypt and found responsible of corruption charges.

He turned into once later acquitted, clearing his course for a doable return to Egypt.

Samer Shehata, an accomplice professor at the University of Oklahoma, USA, says it’s a ways unknown if Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi is in the support of Shafiq’s purported toddle ban. 

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are among the staunchest supporters of basically the most up-to-date Egyptian president, in squawk that they’ve an hobby in Sisi continuing

Samer Shehata, University of Oklahoma

« It is no longer certain if Sisi or the Egyptian authorities is in the support of this switch, » Shehata told Al Jazeera from Norman, Oklahoma.

He acknowledged Shafiq’s lack of ability to leave the UAE is to the objective correct thing about Sisi and additionally advantages the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

« The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are among the staunchest supporters of basically the most up-to-date Egyptian president, in squawk that they’ve an hobby in Sisi continuing.

« They are in favour of Sisi staying in energy and no longer in seeing [the appearance of] any doable challengers. »

Shafiq turned into once high minister for factual over a month at some stage in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, which ended in the autumn of prolonged-serving chief Hosni Mubarak.

Morsi turned into once eradicated in 2013 in a coup led by Sisi, then Egypt’s defence minister, but Shafiq remained in the UAE.

Within the 2018 elections, Shafiq might well per chance all over again be one of the few candidates traumatic Sisi. On the different hand, Shehata thinks Shafiq has bought puny chance of in actuality winning the presidential election.

« In reality that the plot is engineered so that Sisi will pick. He will pick once all over again length subsequent yr », Shehata acknowledged.