Washington, Jun 21 (AFP) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the issue of Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving when she spoke with her Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal, an official said.
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also said that, at least for now, the chief US diplomat was pursuing "quiet diplomacy" on the heated issue despite calls from Saudi women for her to publicly back their right-to-drive campaign.
Nuland told reporters yesterday that "the subject of driving did come up" when Clinton spoke to Prince Saud, apparently on Friday, in the context of broader Middle East diplomacy, including about events in Yemen and Syria.
She did not provide details of the conversation between Clinton, a champion of women's rights around the world, and the Saudi foreign minister.