Qatar denied yesterday that it had sent three military aircraft loaded with weapons to a Tripoli airport controlled by an armed opposition group in Libya.

Assistant Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi described the allegation by Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni as misleading and unfounded.

“The policy of Qatar is based on clear and consistent foundations — mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries,” said the minister on Monday evening.

Qatar helped bankroll the Libyan rebels who ousted Muammar Gadaffi and it continues to be an ally of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which maintains ties to the opposition militia now controlling Tripoli. 

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are on opposite sides of a rift among Gulf Arabs over the role of Islamists.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are upset by Qatari support for the Brotherhood, whose ideology challenges the principle of conservative dynastic succession that dominates the Gulf.