UNITED NATIONS- The UN 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 (UN) 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.
