The Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched their policy blueprint for the general election with tuition fees and NHS waiting times at the top of the agenda.

The party will seek to exploit two Labour weak spots in the principality when the Westminster election is called.

Although health policy is devolved to the Cardiff assembly, the Lib Dems put cutting waiting times at the top of a list of 10 reasons to return their MPs.

The Labour government in the assembly has come under increasing fire in recent years over its record on health, with performance lagging behind that of England.

And the Westminster administration's unpopular decision to implement top-up tuition fees for universities of up to £3,000 per year will also be prominent in the campaign expected in the spring.

The Lib Dems hope to win a high proportion of the student vote in urban areas such as Cardiff Central where they were just 600 votes behind Labour in 2001 and hold the assembly seat.

Other policies included free personal care for the elderly, scrapping council tax and "restoring trust in government" after Iraq.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Lembit Opik said the pre-manifesto document would put his party in pole position to challenge Labour and add to its existing two seats.

"The values underpinning our agenda for Wales are freedom, fairness and trust," he said.

"As this Labour government becomes more unpopular at Westminster and in Wales, increasingly the challengers are not Plaid Cymru or the Conservatives. The challengers are the Liberal Democrats."