While the Israeli-P.L.O. accord is a crucial step toward peace, American strategic interests are locked into acheiving an Israeli-Syrian peace, which would help isolate Iran, a Syrian ally.

But the Americans were more interested in an Israeli-Syrian peace by November, in time to help Mr. Clinton's re-election campaign.

The fact is that the outline of an Israeli-Syrian peace has never been a great mystery - Syria wants to get back the Golan Heights and to receive an endorsement of its control over Lebanon.

On the broader issue of Israeli-Syrian peace, both sides now seem close to resuming talks that were suspended last year.

Some here speculate that there is a connection between the timing of the old financial dealings and Mr. Weizman's partisan campaign for Israeli-Syrian peace.

"We do not underestimate the risks and costs involved in achieving an Israeli-Syrian peace," said Lake.

President Clinton made a one-day venture into shuttle diplomacy today in hopes of speeding the way toward an Israeli-Syrian peace.

They refused to back down for the performance in the final and pulled the flag out live [2], as planned, all to encourage the Israeli-Syrian peace Ehud Barak was negotiating at the time.

Both before and since Hafez al-Assad's death, the United States has said that it sees little chance in the short term for progress toward an Israeli-Syrian peace.

In discussing possible renewed Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations, Mr. Assad said he had no preconditions.