UN, Lebanon discuss new border measures for Syrian refugees BEIRUT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Beirut Ninette Kelley said Friday that the UN refugee agency is negotiating with Lebanon over the country 's plan to enforce new border controls that could affect the flow of Syrian refugees. Kelley said in a statement that "we understand from the government that they are now exerting stricter scrutiny at the border. We will continue to engage with the authorities to ensure that refugees in need of protection will have access to Lebanon but also that the legitimate security concerns of the government are respected and observed. The statement comes three days after the government announced new entry controls, in a bid to reduce friction between the local population and Syrian refugees. According to the latest UN report, there are at least 645,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, though the real number is believed to be much higher. Kelley said that the UN has received only 26 percent of the 1.6 billion U.S. dollars needed to adequately fund their response plan for the region. Lebanon hosts the largest portion of the 1.8 million Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries to escape a conflict now in its third year. Lebanon is the only one of Syria's neighbors that has so far kept an open-door policy to refugees, but the country has struggled to keep up with the pace of arrivals. Officials have warned of the security consequences of the influx, and a shortfall in funding to assist both refugees and the people hosting them. Lebanon has frequently called on the UN Security Council and international donors to help it shoulder the burden of hosting the Syrian refugees, who are expected to cross the threshold of one million by the end of the year. UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a report last month that refugees in Lebanon have surpassed 25 percent of its own population and are inflicting a huge burden on the state and people of Lebanon.