McCanns draw hope from Johnston release
Madeleine McCann has been missing since May 3rd
Thursday, 05, Jul 2007 10:16
The parents of Madeleine McCann have said that they are drawing hope from the release of BBC reporter Alan Johnston.
Mr Johnston was released from captivity in Gaza yesterday morning, 114 days after being taken hostage at gunpoint.
And Gerry and Kate McCann say that the happy ending in his story has given them renewed hope that their four-year-old daughter may be found safe and well.
Madeleine was taken from the Algarve resort in Portugal where she and her family were staying on May 3rd this year.
There have been no confirmed sightings of her since then, despite the case staying at the centre of media attention.
Writing on his online blog on FindMadeleine.com, Mr McCann talked of how he and his wife have had their spirits boosted by the news of Mr Johnston's release.
"It was heartening for Kate and I to learn of the release of Alan Johnston after almost four months in captivity," he wrote.
"Although the circumstances of his kidnapping are very different to that of Madeleine's, it still lifted us to see him being freed knowing he will be reunited with his family shortly."
The McCanns also met with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) earlier this week to thank them for the England rugby team's decision to wear T-shirts with Madeleine's face on during a training session.
Mr and Mrs McCann have played a highly prominent role in keeping the search for Madeleine in the public eye and yesterday met SOS Crianca, a child welfare non-governmental organisation in Portugal, to discuss the campaign.
"Similar to our meetings with child welfare groups and ministers in other countries, they feel our campaign to keep Madeleine's profile high is correct," Mr McCann wrote.
"It was a very constructive meeting and they have offered to help support us in any way they can."
The family are set to travel to Lisbon in the near future to meet with other similar agencies, Mr McCann added.