McCanns believe there is a good chance Madeleine is still alive

Kate and Gerry said they had "no doubt" that Portuguese authorities will reopen the investigation into her disappearance.

British Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment on the Algarve in 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday.

Gerry McCann said: "I think it's fairly clear that the case will have to be reopened for [investigation opportunities] to be pursued adequately.

"We were not expecting a knee-jerk reaction by any means. This is an ongoing dialogue, and I am sure the investigation will get opened again in due course.

"I have no doubt about that. It will get reopened."

The Portuguese attorney general's office said the case will stay closed, unless credible new facts are brought to light.

A review of the case by Scotland Yard detectives was ordered by prime minister David Cameron following a plea from the McCanns.

Metropolitan police officers have so far identified 195 potential new leads.

Speaking about the Portuguese authorities' apparent reluctance to reopen the investigation, Gerry McCann said: "The only way everyone will be able to move on is for the case to be solved, and that is for Madeleine to be found and the perpetrators brought to justice.

"Until then it's not going to go away. It can't go away."

He added: "Probably for the first time in four-and-a-half years, information [is] coming in, and you know it's going to get through to officers who are actively pursuing the information."

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