Women in Saudi Arabia can stop hoping they will be allowed to drive as interior minister reaffirmed that his government has no intention reversing the traditional ban, the official Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.
"It is not possible, and there are no studies on the subject at all," Prince Nayef said, referring to government inquiries on changes to the law.
At a news conference, Prince Nayef was noncommittal when asked about another goal of Saudi women: identity cards, which currently are reserved only for men.
"As I've said before, everything comes in its own time," Nayef said.
Women who wish to draw money from a bank must use "family IDs" - cards without a photograph that identify them as the dependents of their fathers or husbands. The practice sometimes leads to fraud, according to a report by The Associated Press.
In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the authorities had to firmly handle a demonstration by Saudi women demanding the right to drive, an unprecedented move seen then as a result of the post-war social changes – Albawaba.com
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