Accept a House dissolution within six months - instead of three months - or forget about any negotiations with the government.
That was the ultimatum given yesterday to red-shirt protesters by Industry Minister Charnchai Chairungruang.
Charnchai, the Puea Pandin Party leader, who spoke before the special Cabinet meeting to find solutions to the political crisis, told reporters the country could not face more severe political problems than the yellow-shirt rallies.
The government was willing to compromise by cutting down its proposed timeframe to disband the House from nine to six months, he said.
The red shirts' latest deadline of three months has been rejected by the government.
Charnchai lashed out at Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong for demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down to end all problems.
"I believe his proposal is like a likay performance," he said, referring to Thai folk opera.
Thepthai Senpong, personal spokesman of the Democrat Party leader, also criticised Snoh's recipe for defusing the crisis by the revoking the Internal Security Act, lifting the state of emergency, relocating the red-shirt rally and forming a national committee to run the country.
Snoh should ask the red shirts to end their rallies first, he said.
Snoh's call for Abhisit to make way for an interim government might have an ulterior motive grounded in political ambition, which might not be that different from Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's aspirations, he said.
Both of them desired to rise to the post of prime minister, because their supporters want some articles of the 2007 Constitution suspended. The charter bans non-MPs from becoming premier.
"Snoh should carefully think if he is neutral enough to be PM," he said.