Brussels, Moscow, 10/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - Belgian Christian Democrat MEP Luc van den Brande and Greek Socialist MEP Theodoros Pangalos visited Moscow last week with a view to preparing the 4th follow-up report on Russian Federation commitments to be examined by the Parliamentary Assembly by June 2007. The two rapporteurs spoke to the chief military prosecutor and the Deputy Defence Minister about conditions for conscripts, initiation rites and current reforms seeking to improve respect for human rights in the Army. Asked about his first impressions, Mr van den Brande spoke of some desire for reform, but was cautious about the new initiative from the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexis II for Russia to draw up its own declaration of human rights, based on its national culture and particularly its Orthodox Christian beliefs. If the initiative strengthened human rights, it would be welcomed, said Mr van den Brande, stressing the risk of fragmentation and differing interpretation which could spring from a multiplicity of national statements if they were to move away from the common standard: the European Convention on Human Rights.