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Northern parties launch election campaigns

In the campaign for the Northern Assembly elections, the main political parties have held set piece campaign launch events in the Greater Belfast area.

At the DUP's launch at a reception in the south of the city, party leader Ian Paisley accused the British PM of trying to dupe the voters over how much he knew about IRA decommissioning.

And deputy leader Peter Robinson claimed the poll would lead to new negotiations, 'negotiations in which we can shape our future,' he said.

But UUP Vice President Sir Reg Empey said they were misleading the public.

The SDLP claimed it would emerge from the elections as the largest nationalist party in the province.

Party leader Mark Durkan insisted they would outperform Sinn Féin in theput at least one SDLP Assembly member in each constituency.

The leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, David Ford, said Northern Ireland's main unionist and nationalist parties were more likely to suffer from voter apathy next month.

His party would be offering an alternative to tribal politics, he said.