Syria crisis: Can UN mission succeed? by Jim Muir

Will the new acronym UNSMIS - the UN Supervision Mission in Syria - pass into the Middle East's lexicon and take up its place alongside those of other deployments, such as UNTSO and Unifil, which have for decades been helping keep some of the region's potential flashpoints from exploding?

Or will the mission collapse and withdraw in disarray, unable to carry out its task of monitoring compliance with an already highly compromised ceasefire, and with chief envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan for stabilising the country and fostering dialogue on its future?

The Americans and others are clearly sceptical, and have already warned that their support for a renewal of the mission, when its initial mandate expires in three months' time, should not be taken for granted.

For more: BBC News - Syria crisis: Can UN mission succeed?