WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. general who oversees the Guantanamo prison for terrorism suspects urged Congress on Wednesday to offer clear guidance on what interrogation techniques are prohibited under international accords barring inhumane treatment of war prisoners.

Gen. Bantz Craddock, outgoing chief of the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, said military interrogators needed a precise definition of what constituted "outrages on personal dignity" -- prohibited under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

Without clear guidance, military personnel will be left to judge what constitutes an "outrage," Craddock told reporters.

"I don't know what an outrage on personal dignity is. It's in the eye of the beholder," Craddock said. "Look, I pledged a fraternity. I felt I had some outrages on personal dignity, but others didn't feel that way."

"What I would like to see is as much specificity as possible," he said. "To say, 'Don't speed' isn't good enough. Give me a speed limit."

The U.S. Congress and the White House are trying to break an impasse on legislation to set up military commissions to try foreign terrorism suspects. Negotiations have centered on the Bush administration's proposal to more narrowly define the Geneva Conventions' requirement for humane treatment.

The United States has faced international criticism for the indefinite detention of prisoners at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The 455 prisoners include 14 key terrorism suspects, such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed and two other al Qaeda leaders, Ramzi Binalshibh and Abu Zubaydah.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, has argued that narrowly defining the Geneva Conventions' protections could lead other nations to redefine the prohibitions and put U.S. service members at risk.

Craddock declined to comment on McCain's position.

"I'm not a lawyer. It's extremely complex. There are arguments, there are nuances based on a word or two changing," he said.

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