Russia says U.N. prepared to punish breaches of Syria resolution

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council would be prepared to take punitive steps in the event of confirmed violations of a resolution demanding the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. "The United Nations Security Council ... will stand ready to take action under Chapter 7 of the (U.N.) charter, quite clearly," Lavrov said after the council unanimously approved the resolution. He was referring to the part of the charter covering the council's power to enforce its decisions with sanctions or military force. Any such steps would require a new resolution. Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said world powers were aiming to hold an international peace conference in mid-November to help put an end to Syria's 2-1/2 year civil war. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)