The US has withdrawn from a previous pledge to hand over control of internet domain name servers (DNS) to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) or any other international body.

In 1998 the US government set up Icann to take over the management of the DNS system, which consists of 13 servers that assign addresses to every web page on the planet, with the long term aim of handing over full responsibility to the organisation by September 2006.

US assistant secretary Michael Gallagher announced the change of plan at a meeting of the Wireless Communications Association in Brussels.

"Given the internet's importance to the world's economy, it is essential that the underlying DNS of the internet remain stable and secure," he said.

"As such, the US is committed to taking no action that would have the potential to adversely impact the effective and efficient operation of the DNS, and will therefore maintain its historic role in authorising changes or modifications to the authoritative root zone file."

The announcement comes weeks before a UN group is due to release a report on internationalising the internet's governance.

The report is a precursor to a UN summit on the Information Society in Tunisia during November, at which countries like Brazil and China are due to express dissatisfaction at the central role of the US in internet control.