U.N. Says Lebanon Faces Social Explosion over Syria Refugees, Suleimen Asks for Major Financing

The United Nations gave a grim warning Wednesday that Lebanon faces an explosion of social tensions unless the international community helps to handle hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

President Michel Suleiman told foreign ministers from the world's leading nations that his country faces an "existential crisis" because of the influx fleeing the war between President Bashar Assad and opposition rebels.

He told the International Support Group for Lebanon that major financing was needed to pay for the refugees, reinforce public services because of the burden and bolster the army.

The Syria conflict will cost Lebanon $7.5 billion from 2012 to 2014, according to an estimate given by World Bank president Jim Yong Kim to the meeting held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

The U.N. says there are already 760,000 Syrians registered in Lebanon and there will be one million by the end of the year. Lebanon's government estimates there are already 1.2 million with many not bothering to register.

It says there will soon be a strain on electricity supplies and is having to start school lessons by shifts to cope with an extra 90,000 Syrian children.

Kim said there was already "fierce" competition for jobs between Lebanese and Syrians.

He said that by the end of 2014 there could be 200,000-300,000 more Lebanese unemployed which would double the unemployment rate to more than 20%.

"Without question social tensions could increase as competition for jobs and services intensifies," he added.

"If we do not act decisively, now and fast, the Lebanon that we know today will not resemble the Lebanon that we will see tomorrow," Kim warned.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised Lebanon's response to the Syrian crisis.

"I commend the Lebanese government and people for their openness and generosity," Ban said.

Antonio Guterres, U.N. high commissioner for refugees said: "I do not recall any country having suffered a more dramatic impact in its economy and in its society by an inflow of refugees than Lebanon today."

Similar to Ban, Guterres praised "the extreme generosity" of Lebanon in keeping its borders open to refugees during the 30-month-old war.

Lebanon "has been to a large extent left alone by the international community and this needs to change," he said.

Guterres said other countries had to take in Syrian refugees to ease the burden. Germany has already agreed to take 5,000 Syrians.

"Lebanon is probably the most vulnerable and the most affected (country) by the crisis in Syria, in terms of security, the various pressures that have been there on the border with Syria and of course in terms of the refugee presence," Derek Plumbly, the U.N. special representative to Lebanon, told reporters ahead of the meeting.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the conference "we are deeply concerned by the rising number of terrorist attacks and security incidents inside Lebanon and Hizbullah's brazen intervention into the Syrian conflict."

U.S. President Barack Obama announced $74 million dollars of extra humanitarian assistance for Lebanon in a meeting with Suleiman on Tuesday. The U.S. administration is negotiating with Congress to find another $30 million.

Kerry said international friendship with Lebanon had to "be expressed not in words alone. We have to show our commitment with actions that support a sovereign, secure and prosperous Lebanon."

Kerry added that Lebanese parties had to focus on establishing a government.

"President Suleiman has worked tirelessly to disassociate Lebanon from the war in Syria, an effort that I think everyone here both understands and supports," he said.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, and Britain's Foreign Secretary Williams also expressed strong support for the government.

Lavrov said Russia had provided 150,000 tons of humanitarian assistance this year. Fabius said France would consider taking refugees.

Suleiman told the meeting "this aggravating burden now represents a true existential crisis in view of the security and social and economic repercussions."

He has called for an international conference on the refugee crisis which has sent more than two million Syrians spilling into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

The U.N. estimates there will be three million by the end of the year.

No concrete pledges of aid were made at the meeting. But the World Bank and IMF are to appeal for funds for Lebanon at their autumn meetings in October.