Kuwaiti women may be granted vote

Kuwait's Parliament could next month consider a bill granting women the right to vote, a Government minister said yesterday.

Washington has been pressing its allies in the Middle East to bring in political reforms, saying lack of freedom and democracy have fostered violent Islamic militancy inspired by the al Qaeda terrorist network led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

Asked when the female suffrage bill would be debated in the Gulf Arab state, Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Cabinet and Parliament Affairs Mohammad Sharar told reporters: "I think in March, God willing."

"We think it will be approved by parliamentarians in light of international circumstances," Sharar said after a meeting to urge lawmakers to speed up the bill. "We're not isolated from the rest of the world."