‘moved’

Washington, June 21 (AP): Secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton today lent her support to “brave” women in Saudi Arabia who are protesting the Islamic kingdom’s ban on female drivers, making her first public comments on an issue that has become an irritant in complex ties between the US and Saudi governments.

A day after the state department said it was handling the issue through “quiet diplomacy”, Clinton praised the protesters, but stressed they are acting on their own, on behalf of their own rights and not at the behest of outsiders like herself.

Clinton’s comments came after the activists appealed for her to use her position as America’s top diplomat and standing as a well-known advocate for women’s equality to speak out in support of their aim. “What these women are doing is brave and what they are seeking is right, but the effort belongs to them,” Clinton told reporters at a state department news conference.

“I am moved by it and I support them, but I want to underscore the fact that this is not coming from outside their country.” While Clinton and many other top US officials personally find the Saudi ban on women drivers offensive, the administration is increasingly reliant on Saudi authorities to provide stability and continuity in West Asia and Gulf amid uprisings.