Beijing, July 29:

The top US envoy pledged today to keep at nuclear talks with North Korea as long as necessary, meeting again with the North’s delegate as negotiations stretched into the longest round since the six-nation process began. All six chief delegates met today afternoon and agreed to continue the talks tomorrow, said Cho Tae-yong, the No 2 South Korean delegate.

The top delegates will “seriously discuss how to push forward this round of talks,” Cho said of the tomorrow’s session. Despite the apparent impasse at the talks after a record fourth day for the talks, he said today’s meetings “were not lower than my expectation.”