EU Leaders Pledge more Support to Lebanon to Cope with Refugee Crisis

European Union leaders, faced with a staggering migration crisis and deep divisions over how to tackle it, managed to agree early Thursday to boost border controls to ease the influx and to send 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to international agencies helping refugees at camps near their home countries.

The leaders also pledged to boost support to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan to help them cope with the millions fleeing the fighting in Syria.

"The more money we give to address the root causes that are driving people to leave, the less likely they will be to leave their homes," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

"We need to do more to stabilize the countries and the regions from which these people are coming," British Prime Minister David Cameron said as the meeting began.

He announced Britain would commit another 100 million pounds ($152 million) for Syrian refugee relief — including 40 million pounds ($61 million) to the World Food Program — to help feed refugees in camps close to the conflicts they are fleeing.

French President Francois Hollande said his country would give 100 million euros over two years.

It was not clear how much of the pledges they have made would go to Lebanon, which hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees.