Saudi to join U.N. convention on women's rights

DUBAI, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- Saudi Arabia has decided to join a U.N. convention on women's rights, but said it was not committed to any clauses that contradict Islamic sharia law applied in the conservative kingdom.

The Saudi cabinet said in a statement after a meeting chaired by King Fahd on Monday that it had decided to join the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The cabinet statement, carried by local newspapers on Tuesday, said the kingdom would not abide by "any clause in the agreement that contradicts Islamic sharia."

It also said the kingdom did not consider itself "bound by clause two of article nine and clause one of article 29 of the convention."

Saudi Arabia generally bars women from public life. Saudi women need written permission from a male relative to travel, schools and universities are segregated and women do not have their own identity cards.

A growing number work in banks, the public sector, education and private companies, but must work in segregated areas that mostly cater for women.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it was making efforts to ensure all women enjoyed their legally recognized rights, including the right to work, health care and free education.

Saudi Arabia has consistently defended the role of women saying Islam was the best guarantor of women's rights.

Under the U.N. convention, part two of article nine stipulates that members "shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children."

Part one of article 29 stipulates that "any dispute between two or more States Parties concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention which is not settled by negotiation shall, at the request of one of them, be submitted to arbitration.

"If within six months from the date of the request for arbitration the parties are unable to agree on the organization of the arbitration, any one of those parties may refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice..." it adds.

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