By Hussein ELkabany

CAIRO

Former Air Force general Ahmed Shafik, who has been living in United Arab Emirates since 2012, will be heading to Paris before returning to his homeland Egypt, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Shafik will visit Paris to meet Egyptians there and then he will return to Egypt within approximately two or three days, his lawyer Dina Adli Hussein told Anadolu Agency by phone.

On Wednesday, Shafik announced in a televised statement his intention to run for Egypt’s upcoming presidential election that is expected to take place in 2018.

Following the announcement, Al Jazeera aired on Wednesday a video by Shafik saying UAE blocked him from travelling abroad.

However, UAE’s Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash denied Shafik’s claims.

About his legal status, the lawyer asserted that “there is no legal hindrance on Shafik’s departure from UAE or return to Egypt.”

Shafik has been living in the UAE since 2012, following his narrow loss to Mohamed Morsi in the presidential election as he gained more than 12 million votes, 49 percent.

The Egyptian president has not yet announced officially running for a new presidential term.