By EDITH M. LEDERERAssociated PressUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to authorize a much larger, 5,550-member international force with expanded powers to help stop escalating gang violence in Haiti. The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Panama, will transform the current Kenya-led multinational force into a “Gang Suppression Force” with the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said the message from the Security Council is clear: “The era of impunity for those who seek to destabilize Haiti is over.”Panama’s U.N. The mandate for the current force expires on Thursday. It authorizes U.N. member nations to transition to a Gang Suppression Force, in cooperation with Haiti’s government, for an initial period of 12 months.