ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders were sequestered behind closed doors in a Capitol office building as they tried to head off a state government shutdown that will start Friday if they don’t agree on a budget.

Dayton and House Speaker Kurt Zellers walked past reporters on their way into the meeting Saturday morning. Neither divulged specifics of the talks.

Dayton says Friday’s all-day meeting was “a good day” and that he was looking forward to another one.

Zellers says he’s prepared to meet “as late as it takes.”

The tone of the comments has become more positive in the latest round of talks. But they aren’t saying whether they’re any closer to a deal on how much the state should spend in the next two-year budget.