Veiled French woman to run for presidency

Paris: A French woman who wears an Islamic face veil, despite a nationwide ban, wants to run for president in next year's elections.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Kenza Drider said she wants to defend the rights of all French women. She is among a group of women mounting an attack on the law that has banned Muslim face veils from the streets of France since April.

They want to prove the measure contravenes fundamental rights. The law's backers, including President Nicolas Sarkozy, say the veils imprison women.

Drider said she plans to declare her candidacy Thursday in Meaux, a city east of Paris run by top conservative lawmaker and Sarkozy ally Jean-Francois Cope, who championed the veil ban.

Two other women stopped for wearing veils are facing trial Thursday, also in Meaux.