Talks between Malaysia and Singapore over irritants including a controversial new bridge linking the neighbours must not drag on indefinitely, said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Malaysia will continue negotiations with Singapore but decisions have to be made, he said late yesterday according to Bernama .

"We have been clear on this - that we do not want the talks to go on forever. There will be no outcome with talks that go on forever," he said.

"We are now at the stage where we have identified the areas that we want resolved. If we cannot arrive at a decision, we will see what to do next."

New bridge

Malaysia caused a stir last week by announcing it would start building a bridge across the strait that divides it from Singapore, even though its neighbour has not yet approved plans to build the other half.

"Singapore has sent a third-person note to (Kuala Lumpur) asking for Malaysia's clarification of these media reports before we decide on our response," a Singapore foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Syed Hamid said a response had been prepared to Singapore's queries about the bridge, which Malaysia has been lobbying for to replace an 80-year-old causeway.

The two countries have squabbled for years over a variety of issues. While other bilateral feuds have been settled amid a thawing in relations over the past year or so, the bridge remains a thorny issue.