Oman welcomes Gulf step on intermarried families in Qatar crisis

Oman welcomed a decision by three Gulf countries to give special consideration to families with Qatari spouses and children today, after they cut ties with Qatar last week and expelled Qatari nationals from their countries.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced hotlines to help mixed families yesterday, a step Oman said would aid “humanitarian cases of families shared between them and Qatar” in a statement on state news agency ONA.

“It is considered by the Sultanate to be a good step toward calm,” the statement said.

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The three countries portrayed the coordinated move, announced yesterday, as an attempt to lessen the humanitarian impact of their 5 June decision, which has caused travel and shipping disruptions. However, they did not make clear what services the hotlines would provide.

Oman has allowed Qatar to open new shipping services from its territory to sidestep a port ban that accompanied the severing of ties, enabling the small Gulf state to secure a food lifeline.