The other options -- withdrawal or augmentation of the force -- could have more negative consequences than good, the report concludes.

CNN: U.N. head outlines options for Syria mission

Whether he can meet even that deadline depends partly on what outsiders do to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of the Italian-led multinational force.

ECONOMIST: Albania

Once the withdrawal is over, the secretary-general says the force should be strengthened again with the addition of two mechanised infantry battalions, bringing the total number of peacekeepers to just less than 8, 000.

BBC: Call for more Lebanon peacekeepers

But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insists that any truce would have to be part of a wider deal that includes Hezbollah's withdrawal from the Lebanese-Israeli border and the deployment of an international force.

NPR: Rice Jousts with Diplomats on Lebanon Solution

Once the withdrawal has been confirmed, the 4, 500-member United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) is expected to be strengthened to enable it to help restore Beirut's authority over the area.

BBC: UN peacekeepers

But their withdrawal in early May exposed the weaknesses of the UN force, which was under-resourced and comprised troops, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, with little experience of working together or of such operations.

BBC: Q&A: Sierra Leone's troubles

Rabin's assumption is that U.S. troops on the Golan will ease the government's domestic task of getting support for the Syrian treaty, but Israeli opinion polls show great public unease with the prospect of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan -- even if they are replaced with a U.S. or international force.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: A US force for the Golan Heights? A roundtable discussion