BP America says "cannot commit" to escrow

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The president of BP America told lawmakers his parent company stood behind commitments to pay liability claims related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but he declined comment on the possibility of an escrow account.

"I cannot comment on whether there will be a fund set aside or not," Lamar McKay said at a House subcommittee hearing on the oil spill.

"We've made it clear that the company stands behind these commitments. We've got a strong balance sheet. We've got a strong company. We intend to stand behind those. I cannot commit today, one way or the other, on whether a fund would serve that in furtherance," he said.

(Reporting by Tom Doggett; Editing by Sofina Mirza-Reid)