Madeleine parents in phoneline plea

Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann, said that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the couple still believe their daughter, missing since May 3, could be alive.

He also dismissed reports that the couple had "amazed" staff at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz by their calm demeanour in the days after their daughter's disappearance.

In an appeal on Spanish television, the McCanns will urge people in Portugal, Spain and North Africa to phone +34 902 300213 if they have any information about the four-year-old.

They are concentrating on that region because it is thought to be the area where the little girl is "most likely" to be, said Mr Mitchell.

In their first televised interview since being made official suspects in their daughter's disappearance, the Leicestershire couple will tell viewers of the Antena 3 network that they welcome the work carried out by the new head of the police investigation, Paulo Rebelo.

"In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, Kate and Gerry firmly still believe that Madeleine could well be alive and being held somewhere," Mr Mitchell told GMTV.

"As a result, they feel that there is someone out there who has that vital piece of information that could lead to her being discovered and brought home."

Mr Mitchell insisted that the work of the helpline would not side-step the Portuguese police investigation into her disappearance.

He said: "We are not side-stepping anything. This in effect, is going to be a complementary structure, if you like. This is not a sign of losing faith. We want this to be a collaborative exercise with the police."