Prince tweets support for women drivers

A Saudi Arabian prince said on Twitter he is in favor of Saudi women being allowed to drive. "Deporting illegal foreign workers was the right decision and allowing women to drive will result in saving at least 500,000 jobs held by foreign drivers and subsequent economic and social benefits for the nation," billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal tweeted, referencing Saudi Arabia's recent move to deport foreigners whose visas or residence and work permits have expired. In Saudi Arabia, there is no actual law that bans women from driving and the issue is related mainly to social traditions, Gulf News reported Monday. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud has stressed reform of women's rights since he took the thrown in 2005, saying, "balanced modernization compatible with Islamic values [is] a significant necessity."