New York- The U.S. has condemned Libya’s use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, with unconfirmed media reports putting the death toll in the country at 300.

A statement issued by the State Department  expressed grave concern that the number of deaths was unknown in the country because of a lack of access to news organisations and human rights groups.

The State Department spokesmen Philip Crowley, said that the U.S. had raised “strong objections about the use of lethal force” with several senior Libyan officials, including Musa Kusa, the Foreign Minister

“Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest.

“We call upon the Libyan government to uphold that commitment and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment,” he said.

The protests that led to the ouster of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January have sparked a wave of uprisings in the Arab world.

On Feb. 11, Egypt’s ruler Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down after 18 days of protest in the country.

Anti-government demonstrators in Yemen, Baharian and Algeria have also demanded change, inspired by the “successful” uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

On Sunday, Susan Rice, the U.S ambassador to the UN, said on “Meet the Press” on NBC, said the U.S “supports very strongly” the yearning for change in the Middle East.

“What we’re seeing across the region is a yearning for change, a hunger for political reform, economic reform, economic opportunity, greater representation,” she said.

Richard Hass, President of the U.S. think tank group, Council on Foreign Relations, said on CBS news, that the Middle East protests were a threat to U.S. interests.

“The one country that I am most concerned about is Saudi Arabia, that is where the bulk of the energy is and if Saudi Arabia begins to unravel that’s where the stakes are greatest for the U.S,” he said.

Hass also voiced his concern on Egypt, saying “it is a quarter of the Arab world, and that will set an awful pattern for the rest of the world”. (NAN)