Malaysia will remain patient with Singapore despite a deadlock over talks to review the price of water it supplies to the island-state, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

"Discussions will continue. Let them sort it out ... they don't agree on some issues, so our negotiators must continue to persevere and be patient," he told reporters.

Abdullah's comments came a day after senior officials from the two countries failed to resolve differences over water pricing after two days of talks in Johor.