And as lawmakers prepared to take part in a three-hour private viewing of unpublished pictures of the abuse, Senator John Warner also urged them to be discreet in their choice of words as they describe the images.

"I think we've got to be extremely cautious as we finish our work this afternoon and then fulfill our obligations to verbalize ... our own interpretations and meanings of these photos such as tonight not incite in any way further anger against our forces or others working in the cause of freedom," the Republican lawmaker said from the Senate floor.

He made his remarks one day after revelations that a young US businessman, Nick Berg, was executed by beheading in Iraq (news - web sites), in apparent retaliation for the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by their US captors.

Warner also argued that making the pictures public might interfere with criminal trials against those facing prosecution in the prison abuse scandal.

"The Department of Defense (news - web sites) is bringing accountability to those who allegedly have perpetrated these situations, and that trial process must go forward in such a way that the release of these photos does not adversely impact or jeopardize their rights," Warner said.

"I would simply counsel those ... in the executive branch, which has a responsibility to deal with future distribution of these pictures, to err on the side of caution," Warner said.

"I think at this time it would not be wise to publish them," he said, adding that a better time might be "during the course of trials, when the prosecution has a right to bring out certain photographs, (and) the defense has a right to bring out other photographs -- so you will have a balance of interests."

Numerous photos already have been made public in the festering prison abuse scandal which has ignited international outrage.

CBS television has said it plans to broadcast on its "60 Minutes II" program on Wednesday a video diary filmed by a US soldier inside Abu Ghraib prison and at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, showing the conditions in which Iraqis are held.

CBS was the first to show pictures of abuse by US soldiers inside Abu Ghraib.