A top Yemeni official has stressed that finding a political solution and safeguarding Yemen's sovereignty remains a key priority, while a senior Houthi leader has demanded that people's basic rights must be respected if any long-term peace agreement is to be achieved. In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) recorded last month in Cairo, Yemeni Foreign Minister Shayea Mohsen Al-Zindani said that the government is committed to working with neighboring nations to deliver a political solution, which he said has always been the first choice in terms of easing ongoing tensions in Yemen, in the Red Sea and across the Middle East. "We firmly believe that restoring effective national sovereignty over all of Yemen's territory is the only and crucial solution. Of course, the government is committed to working alongside our brotherly countries to promote a comprehensive peace process, fulfilling the Yemeni people's hopes for stability and peace, and ultimately ending the war. This political solution has always been our primary choice from the beginning," he said. Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, stressed that the pursuit of peace should not involve making concessions and should not undermine the basic rights of the Yemeni people. "We have always sought and discussed peace, but peace is not a sign of weakness. Any peace agreements cannot undermine the fundamental rights of the Yemeni people," he said. An Oman-brokered ceasefire agreement between Yemen's Houthi group and the United States was announced on May 6, bringing an end to the United States' nearly two-month bombing campaign. Tensions had intensified after the U.S. resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, which aimed at deterring the group from attacking Israel and U.S. warships. Senior Houthi officials have since emphasized that the agreement with the United States is strictly bilateral, with al-Houthi saying in a social media post that the group's operations "were and still are in support of Gaza to stop the Israeli aggression and allow the entry of aid" into Gaza, indicating that the ceasefire deal with the U.S. did not include a halt to the group's attacks on Israel. SHOTLIST: FILE: Sanaa, Yemen - March 26, 2025 1. Various of cityscape, national flag of Yemen; Cairo, Egypt - April 23, 2025 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yemeni Foreign Minister Shayea Mohsen Al-Zindani: "We firmly believe that restoring effective national sovereignty over all of Yemen's territory is the only and crucial solution. Of course, the government is committed to working alongside our brotherly countries to promote a comprehensive peace process, fulfilling the Yemeni people's hopes for stability and peace, and ultimately ending the war. This political solution has always been our primary choice from the beginning."; FILE: Sanaa, Yemen - July 9, 2022 3. Various of Yemeni national flag; FILE: Sanaa, Yemen - Jan 16, 2025 4. Various of traffic; Sanaa, Yemen - Recent 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head, Houthi Revolutionary Committee: "We have always sought and discussed peace, but peace is not a sign of weakness. Any peace agreements cannot undermine the fundamental rights of the Yemeni people."; FILE: Sanaa, Yemen - March 26, 2025 6. Various of cityscape, national flag of Yemen; FILE: Sanaa, Yemen - March 26, 2025 7. Various of traffic. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]