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A senior US delegation opened a new diplomatic push here to resolve a four-month-old political crisis over the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.

Led by Thomas Shannon, the US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, the Americans met first with Zelaya at the Brazilian embassy, where he has been holed up since mid-September.

They then met with Roberto Micheletti, head of the de facto government that seized power after a military-backed coup on June 28 and which has so far refused any deal that would involve Zelaya's reinstatement.

Zelaya told AFP the US officials gave assurances that they regarded him as "president of the Hondurans" and that the United States would not recognize the outcome of presidential elections set for November 29 unless he is reinstated.

"I continue being the president recognized by the nations of the world," Zelaya said after the 90-minute session. "I represent a way out, a way toward a political consensus and a peaceful solution."

After their meeting, Micheletti negotiator Vilma Morales invited the Zelaya team to resume negotiations Thursday at 10 am (1600 GMT) to determine whether it should be Congress or the Supreme Court to decide about Zelaya's reinstatement.

Zelaya recently rejected as "insulting" the idea that the Supreme Court -- which accused Zelaya of 18 crimes ahead of the coup -- should rule on the issue.

His answer to the negotiations offer was swift: "Our position is categorical. Our committee will not sit at the negotiating table without first signing an agreement on Zelaya's reinstatement," negotiator Rasel Tome told AFP.

Besides Shannon, the US delegation included Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Craig Kelly, and senior White House adviser on Latin America, Dan Restrepo.

"They are urging both sides to show flexibility and redouble their efforts to bring this crisis to an end," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Wednesday in Washington.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who decided to send the delegation after speaking to Micheletti and Zelaya representatives at the weekend, "believes that United States could play a constructive role and would encourage all sides to return to the negotiating table," he added.

On Tuesday, Kelly said "the clock was ticking" for a deal to be reached restoring Zelaya to power ahead of the elections.

The rival factions have been unable to agree on whether and how Zelaya would be allowed to complete his mandate, before a new president is sworn in early next year.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has led efforts for a peaceful resolution to the sometimes violent crisis, but Washington, the country's key partner, has stepped up as pressure mounts ahead of the elections.

Officials fear that if a deal is not reached this week, Zelaya's supporters may boycott the November vote in the polarized nation.

Kelly said the US delegation would hold several meetings in Honduras and hold a press conference Thursday before they fly back to Washington. He said, however, that they could decide to stay on longer.

Meanwhile more than 1,000 Zelaya supporters demonstrated outside the Honduran Congress Wednesday demanding the ousted leader's reinstatement and Micheletti's resignation.

A CID-Gallup poll published here Wednesday showed greater support for Zelaya than Micheletti by a 42-36 percent margin, while Hondurans were split 47-49 percent regarding the ousted leader's chances of being returned to office.

The October 13-19 survey of 1,420 adults also found three out of four believe the November election will help resolve the crisis, against 21 percent who do not.