Mayors of Ukrainian cities with populations over one hundred thousand demand that President Viktor Yushchenko urgently convene a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council. \n \nThis is stated in an address to the president adopted on Saturday at a meeting of the Large Cities Section of the Association of Ukrainian Cities in Dnipropetrovsk. \n \nAccording to the AUC press service, community leaders call on the president to consider at the NSDC meeting the issue of forming price and tariff policy. \n \nIn their opinion, this issue is one of national security, and if it is not resolved, the situation with rising gas prices could lead to destabilization of society. \n \nProposals from the Association of Ukrainian Cities and Communities to the Cabinet of Ministers on overcoming the socio-economic crisis developing in cities and communities as a result of the rapid rise in energy prices were also adopted. \n \nHaving discussed at the meeting of the Large Cities Section of the AUC the pressing problems of the functioning of the housing sector, representatives of local self-government bodies – AUC members – reached a unanimous opinion on the need to take radical measures aimed at easing the situation and ensuring the implementation of a unified nationwide, balanced tariff policy. \n\nThe Association of Ukrainian Cities and Communities believes that a necessary prerequisite for resolving the above-mentioned problems is close coordination of the actions of state executive authorities and local self-government in this area and the exercise of strict control over the implementation of the proposed measures. \n\nLutsk Mayor Bohdan Shyba also took part in the work of the Association of Ukrainian Cities \n