The death of President Assad has almost certainly dashed President Clinton's hopes for a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement before he leaves office next January.
The US efforts to bring about a peace treaty between Syria and Israel were revived this year when talks between the two countries were held outside Washington, but they ran into difficulties when Syria insisted on an Israeli commitment to hand over the Golan Heights before discussing security issues.
Assad did not take part in these talks. Mr Clinton met him in Geneva in March but was unable to report any progress. But the US hoped that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon last month could lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations.
Now Mr Clinton appears resigned to a prolonged period of adjustment in Syria while Mr Bashar Assad takes over from his father. "There will be a period of mourning in Syria.
There will be a period of sorting-out, and the Syrian people will make some decisions and then we'll see what happens. But you know we've been at this now for years because of the decision that Mr Assad made to go back to negotiations and try to move away from conflict, and it's certainly a path I hope the country will stay on. "I regret that peace was not achieved in his lifetime and I hope it can still be achieved, in no small measure because of the commitment he made," Mr Clinton said. The President will not attend the funeral; the US will be represented by the Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright.
Mr Clinton was handed a note confirming the death of Mr Assad while he waited to give a speech at a college in Minnesota. He sighed and held the note up to his chin while he reflected on the news.
Later he told reporters: "I had the occasion to meet with President Assad many times and I believe I got to know him well. And while we had our disagreements, I always respected him because I felt that he was open and straightforward with me and because I felt he meant it when he said he had made a strategic choice for peace."