Riyadh, Jun 15 (IANS/AKI): Six hundred women in Saudi Arabia have signed a petition asking the king to grant women the right to drive. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from getting behind the wheel of a car.

The petition will be presented to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Sunday, the first anniversary of the launching of the Women2Drive campaign.

The petition asks for "the possibility for women to get a driving license in nearby countries and allowing them to start driving".

"Our initiative is not aimed at violating laws. We only want to enjoy the right to drive like all women over the world," says the petition signed by Manal al-Sherif, who in 2011 launched an internet campaign encouraging Saudi women to challenge the driving ban.

The petition also asks the monarch to open driving schools in Saudi Arabia that can in future issue licenses to women. It thanked Aziz for giving women the right to vote in municipal elections starting in 2015.