'It isn't me'- Madeleine suspect

Robert Murat, who has strongly denied any involvement in the four-year-old's abduction, insisted he was not the man wanted by the authorities.

"It isn't me," he said. "But the description is so vague that it won't put me out of the picture. I hope that I will soon be in a position to clear my name."

Mr Murat has been questioned by police but has not been charged although he still remains one of the leads in the inquiry. His house, only 150 metres from where Madeleine was snatched has been searched by police, but the suspect is still living there with his mother.

Madeleine's father Gerry said anyone suspected in the case should be assumed innocent until convicted by a court.

Portuguese police were forced to make an embarrassing U-turn after Madeleine's parents were desperate to release details about a man seen carrying what was thought to be a child on the night Madeleine went missing and had threatened legal action.

But after a meeting between the couple and senior Portuguese officials, the police relented and a physical description was issued.

Mr McCann said the talks were amicable and constructive and insisted the sighting could prove "significant and relevant" in finding the four-year-old. It is 23 days since Madeleine was snatched from her bed in the Algarve town of Praia da Luz.

Mr McCann said he and wife Kate wanted "more than anything" to get their daughter back. Appealing for help, he said: "Any information, no matter how unimportant you think it could be might be vital in helping the Portuguese and British police find our daughter."

The McCanns are convinced that a white man aged around 35 to 40 spotted by a friend of the couple near their apartment at 9.30 pm was holding Madeleine. He was medium build, 5ft 10in tall, wearing a dark jacket and beige trousers.