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KUWAIT - A key Saudi royal put a damper on hopes that Saudi women might soon be allowed to drive in the Islamic state but said yesterday they could gain some voting rights.
The right of women to drive has been a key demand of reformers in United States-allied Saudi Arabia, which follows an austere form of Islam, and has been backed by some Government ministers.
But Interior Minister Prince Nayef's support would be key to any reform.
"It is regrettable that this has become an issue, since it doesn't deserve to be. I am surprised it has been brought up," Prince Nayef, a half-brother to King Abdullah, told Kuwait's al-Anbaa newspaper.
"Women have the right to own a car or anything else. But driving a car in our desert regions, where distances are large between one district and another, would expose women's lives to danger and this we cannot accept," he said.
Powerful religious scholars fear driving would encourage women to mix with men outside their family. The ban is enforced in cities and on main roads, where women rely on non-Saudi chauffeurs, but reports say it is sometimes flouted.
"We need to secure more important rights for Saudi women, such as the right to vote. We will look into the possibility of women participating in the next municipal elections," Nayef said.
Saudi Arabia last year held elections for half the seats in local councils after calls for political reform at home and abroad. Women were barred from voting or standing for office but officials have said they could take part in future polls. The Gulf state is an absolute monarchy with no political parties.
- REUTERS
