HOUSTON (AP) - A senior BP executive is again avoiding committing the oil giant to using relief wells to seal to the Gulf of Mexico well that blew out in April.

The comments by Senior Vice President Kent Wells on Thursday indicated there may still be disagreement between BP and Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man on the spill response. Even though a cap stopped the flow of oil in mid-July, Allen has long insisted the relief wells will be the final solution.

Wells danced around a question posed by federal investigators probing the causes of the April 20 explosion that killed 11 people. He says there are "multiple options" to stop the flow of oil and the relief wells are "the ultimate backup if everything else fails."