Qatar denies its military planes intercepted UAE civilian aircraft

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DUBAI, April 23 (Reuters) – Qatar denied on Monday that its military planes had intercepted a civilian aircraft from the United Arab Emirates the day before, states news agency QNA reported, saying a UAE military plane had violated its air space at the time.

The UAE had said a plane carrying 86 passengers to Bahrain was approached by the Qatari aircraft, forcing its pilot to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision.

Quoted by the state news agency, the Qatari civil aviation authority said its military planes were on a routine flight when a UAE military aircraft entered its air space without permission in the same area as the UAE civilian plane.

“The United Arab Emirates has unfortunately been manipulating the facts to inflame and mislead the international community. The latest statement is proof of this”, it said.

Both countries have accused each other of a series of mid-air incidents since Abu Dhabi and other powers imposed travel, diplomatic and trade sanctions on Qatar in June.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, accuse Qatar of supporting regional foe Iran as well as Islamic militants.
Doha denies the charges and say its rivals seek to rein in its foreign policy.

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