This was to bridge the Syrian demand that the conference be permanent and continuing with the Israeli demand that it meet once and then disappear.

The Israelis have agreed to a Syrian demand that the first bilateral talks take place in Madrid on Sunday, to discuss when and where the parties should meet on a more permanent basis.

Mr. Shamir said Mr. Bush offered to play down or ignore the Syrian demands, if Israel would make a reciprocal concession: to freeze Jewish settlement in the occupied territories.

Syrian demand for an Israeli pledge to withdraw totally from the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state annexed in 1981, has been a major stumbling block in the peace process.

Syrian demands for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan, which the Jewish state annexed in 1981, has been a major stumbling block in the peace process launched back in October 1991.

They focused on the peace talks, and especially the Syrian demand for the return of the Golan Heights, the advisers said.

In October 1990, as part of the end of the war, the reorganized Lebanese government forced Prime Minister Aoun out of power under Syrian demands and commands.

That was an attempt to bridge Israel's demand that the United Nations play no role and the Syrian demand that the United Nations actually sponsor the conference.

It could help him fend off Syrian demands for enormous concessions, they said, because he could argue that asking for too much would get Syria nothing in Israeli public support.

The main matters to be negotiated apart from the Syrian demand for total withdrawal from the Golan were security arrangements and normalization of relations.