Al-Kathiri to Newsweek, "we and our people are able to thwart any attempt to bypass the cause of our people and trample upon their sacrifices."

Mr. Ali Abdullah Al-Kathiri, member of the Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and its official spokesman, said in an interview with Newsweek magazine on March 26, 2023, that the STC "represent[s] the cause of the people of the south, which is based on the will of the southern people, historical and political facts that cannot be overlooked, and a reality on the ground that cannot be bypassed."

Mr. Al-Kathiri affirms the STC's "readiness to engage in any comprehensive negotiations that include an agreed framework," but emphasized that such a framework "has to include the issues of the people of the south."

He adds "No one can pass or apply any unrealistic solutions, and the experience during the previous decades is sufficient to avoid repeating inaccurate attempts," he added, "and we and our people are able to thwart any attempt to bypass the cause of our people and trample upon their sacrifices."

Regarding the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries, the official spokesman stated that the STC "believes that dialogue, calm and peace between Riyadh and Tehran and the resumption of diplomatic relations between them will reflect positively on stability and peace in the region in general and will also have a positive impact on advancing the success of peace efforts and ending wars and political crises in the region," he also said "our welcome to the agreement is not that of an absolute deed on the future of the solution in the south and Yemen."

Al-Kathiri mentions that "The Transitional Council is open to all regional and international efforts," he said, "and in this context it welcomes the role of the People's Republic of China towards creating this comprehensive and desired peace."

Instead, "it is a welcome to the peace decision and the idea of calm," he stated.

"And without any doubt," he added, "we will have a clear and decisive position towards any negative repercussions against the national cause of our people that may result from the agreement."