Family friend 'may have witnessed' abduction of Madeleine

• Police insist 'We are confident we will find her'

• Hunt on for white man, 35-40 years old, 5ft 10ins tall

• Mr McCann says they had an 'amicable and very constructive' meeting with police

• He believes sighting of man is 'significant and relevant to Madeleine's abduction'

A friend of Madeleine McCann's parents may have seen her being carried away from her holiday apartment the night she vanished, it's been was revealed.

A "witness" reported seeing a man carrying "an object that could have been...a child" in the Algarve village of Praia Da Luz at 9.30pm on May 3 - while Madeleine's parents were finishing dinner nearby.

A source indicated that the sighting - the most striking so far in the case - was by a female member of the couple's party who has not been named.

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Police are searching for a white man carrying an object that could have been a child on the night that Madeleine disappeared

Policia Judiciaria (PJ) finally released a description of the man seen that night in the face of possible legal action by Madeleine's parents.

He was white, 35 to 40, of medium build and 5ft 10in, with hair left slightly longer around the neck, wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes.

The information, likely to have been released early on as a matter of course in other countries, had to be sanctioned by the public prosecutor.

It followed an "amicable" meeting with senior Portuguese police and the McCanns believed to have taken place yesterday.

The McCanns welcomed the police's decision to release details of the suspect.

This afternoon, they emerged from their apartment - Mrs McCann still clutching Madeleine's pink cuddles - to make a statement to the waiting media.

Mr McCann said they had had an "amicable and very constructive" meeting with police.

"We very much welcome the decision of the police authorities to release details of a man seen by witnesses here in Praia Da Luz on Thursday, May 3, the night of Madeleine's disappearance.

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Gerry McCann (above with wife Kate) said: 'We feel sure that this sighting of a man with what appeared to be a child in his arms is both significant and relevant to Madeleine's abduction'

"The release of this important information followed an earlier meeting we had with senior police officers.

"We feel sure that this sighting of a man with what appeared to be a child in his arms is both significant and relevant to Madeleine's abduction."

He urged anyone who may have seen the suspect to come forward to police.

"Any information no matter how unimportant it might be could be vital in helping the Portuguese police to find our daughter.

"We wish for nothing more than to bring Madeleine home with us safe and well."

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The McCanns: 'We want Madeleine back, and people can still influence that'

The couple had discussions with British Ambassador John Buck and UK police at their apartment yesterday.

The PJ has been heavily criticised in the British media over the past three weeks for not releasing more details of suspicious sightings in the face of the country's strict "secret of justice" laws which forbid the disclosure of information about an investigation.

It is thought the PJ were given a description of the man within 24 hours of the abduction but have not released it for that reason.

The description - which tallies closely to details being circulated at the time but never publicised - sounds similar to the chief suspect in the case, Robert Murat. But when asked about this, Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa replied: "There are many people who fit this description."

Officers toured shops and bars in the village with a basic description in the days after Madeleine was snatched as well as one or more images of the man.

But facial features were scant and one man described an e-fit he was shown by plain clothes officers as like "an egg with hair".

The announcement was welcomed as an apparent "new development" in the case by the McCanns.

The McCanns are convinced that the figure seen being carried was Madeleine.

Mr and Mrs McCann, both 38, were having dinner at a tapas bar facing their holiday apartment when the abductor entered their apartment.

The description released is similar to that included in reports that a man was seen dragging a girl in a road towards the marina at nearby Lagos.

The marina was the focus of aquatic searches in the days after Madeleine's disappearance.

Today the McCanns gave their first interviews and spoke of their feelings of "guilt" at not being there when their daughter was taken.

But they defended themselves against accusations that they were irresponsible, outlining how they had an arrangement with other parents in their group to continually check on the children throughout the evening.

They compared the arrangement, eating across the pool within sight of the apartment, as like being in the back garden of a big house.

The police said they were still waiting to hear from some of the international agencies involved in trying to find Madeleine.

When asked about a sighting in Marrakech, Chief Inspector Sousa said nothing had been ruled out.

At the police press conference, Inspector Sousa said the description of the man was given by one witness involved in the case, but would not elaborate.

He said part of the reason the description had been issued was to try to rule out people as well as finding Madeleine's abductor.

He defended the time it had taken to release the description, saying it was down to the investigators leading the case as to when information was released.

When asked again why it was not released earlier, he replied: "Because we did not feel it was necessary at that time."

Police are also waiting for the results of forensic examinations which are continuing.

Messages for the McCanns can be sent to mccannfamily@markwarner.co.uk

The official Find Madeleine website can be found at www.findmadeleine.com

The Crimestoppers number for those calling from Portugal is 0044 1883 731 336 or information can be passed direct to the Portuguese police on 00 351 282 405 400.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and Virtual Global Taskforce appeal is at www.ceop.gov.uk and www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.