BBC.
The US, Canada, Australia and UK have refused to sign an international communications treaty at an conference in Dubai.
The countries had objected to calls for all states to have equal rights to the governance of the internet.
But the breaking point was the addition of text relating to "human rights".
It marks a setback for the UN's International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) which had said it was sure it could
deliver consensus.
"It's with a heavy heart and a sense of missed opportunities
that the US must communicate that it's not able to sign the agreement in
the current form," said Terry Kramer the US ambassador to the World
Conference on International Telecommunications (Wcit).
"The internet has given the world unimaginable economic and social benefit during these past 24 years."
Negotiators from Denmark, Italy, the Czech Republic, Sweden,
Greece, Portugal, Finland, Chile, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Costa
Rica and Kenya have said they would need to consult with their national
governments about how to proceed and would also not be able to sign the
treaty as planned on Friday.
