WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Time is running out for a  solution to the political crisis in Honduras, the U.S. State  Department said yesterday as senior government officials  prepared to travel there to try to revive talks.

The officials, traveling to the Central American country on  Wednesday, plan to meet with Manuel Zelaya — who was ousted as  president in June — and Honduras’ de facto leader Roberto  Micheletti in negotiations that are expected to last about two  days.

“I think it’s getting quite urgent,” said State Department  spokesman Ian Kelly, referring to the need to reach an  agreement before presidential elections next month. The U.S.  delegation includes the top State Department and White House  officials who deal with Latin America.

The Obama administration has said it is disappointed with a  deadlock in talks to resolve the crisis sparked by the ouster  of Zelaya, a leftist who was sent into exile in an army-backed   coup on June 28. Zelaya has been holed up at the Brazilian  embassy in Tegucigalpa since slipping back into the  impoverished coffee-producing country last month.

Repeated efforts to reach a deal have stalled over  disagreement on whether Zelaya could be reinstated to complete  his term, which is due to end in January.

Kelly said it was important for the two sides to end the  crisis before the Nov. 29 election. Neither Zelaya nor  Micheletti are running, but Zelaya has said Micheletti’s  refusal to reinstate him before the election will strip the  vote’s legitimacy and further isolate the de facto government.     “We want to see an election, which is coming in about  exactly a month, to enjoy the kind of international legitimacy  that these people of Honduras deserve for their government,”  Kelly said.

After the last round of talks broke down last Friday, U.S.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned both Zelaya and  Micheletti and urged them to be flexible and to work harder to  end the crisis.