Macedonian leaders say the government will ask NATO for a new mission after its current operation ends.
The leadership believes a continued NATO presence will lessen chances of new flare-ups between the rebels and government troops.
The announcement is the first formal confirmation that such a request will be made.
The decision was reached in a meeting of the National Security Council.
"Macedonia will request that NATO authorise another small-scale mission... after operation Essential Harvest is completed," said presidential adviser Nikola Dimitrov, referring to the alliance's arms collecting operation by its formal name.
Government attempts to prolong the fragile peace came after an outburst of violence and amid potential threats to the country's internationally backed peace plan by attempts to put the plan to a referendum.
The Western-brokered peace plan commits parliament to passing constitutional reforms granting ethnic Albanians more rights, in exchange for the rebel hand-over of weapons to NATO troops.
With many of the majority Macedonian electorate opposed to concessions to the ethnic Albanian minority, the pact could unravel if put to a referendum.
Under the peace plan, lawmakers are to enact the reforms within 45 days of the August 27th start of NATO's operation to collect the weapons.
More than two-thirds of the rebels' 3,300 weapons to be collected have already been gathered. Parliament must now discuss the constitutional amendments before the alliance can complete the arms collection.
PA