BP spill won't hurt US-British ties - US officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a matter between the United States and a private company and will not hurt U.S. relations with the British government, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Thursday.

"BP is a private company and this is about the impact of a tragedy in terms of the explosion of the oil platform and the resulting oil spill," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told a briefing. "This is not about relations between the United States and its closest ally."