McCanns' European Campaign

Date	Brief overview of events
10 June 2007	Kate and Gerry attend morning mass in Praia da Luz. Late in the afternoon they drive up to Lisbon to catch a flight to Casablanca, where embassy officials meet them at the start of their trip to Morocco.
11 June 2007	Kate and Gerry spend the day in Rabat meeting British ambassador Charles Gray, Morocco's most senior police officer Charqi Draiss, the Interior Minister Mohamed Benaissa as well as representatives from 3 child welfare groups, including Touche Pas Mes Enfants (Do Not Touch my Children), an organisation set up two years ago to tackle paedophilia. As well as the meetings, the McCanns visited the National Observatory for Children's Rights. As they pulled up in the car there were about 150 children waving posters of Madeleine with the words 'All Moroccan Children Are With You Madeleine - Madeleine: Back Home'. The McCanns also did a couple of interviews for ITV and Sky focussing on a change in the phase of the campaign. They confirmed that there would be a period of reflection before they decided on the best role for themselves.
12 June 2007	Kate and Gerry finish off their trip to Morocco with a private visit to the minister for religious affairs in the morning. They arrive back in Praia da Luz in the afternoon. At night they go to church for prayers.

Parents fear they must return without Maddy, 10 June 2007

Parents fear they must return without Maddy Telegraph

By Fiona Govan in Praia da Luz and Olga Craig
Published: 12:01AM BST 10 Jun 2007

The father of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann has admitted for the first time that he and his family may have to return home to England from Portugal without their daughter.

Gerry McCann, 39, and his wife Kate, 38, have always insisted that to leave Praia da Luz in the Algarve, where Madeleine disappeared without trace on May 3, would be to abandon her.

But yesterday Mr McCann, a medical consultant from Rothley, in Leicestershire, said: "The time has come for a contingency plan."

Seated next to his wife in the flat on the Algarve where they have been staying with their two-year-old twins, Amelie and Sean, Mr McCann said: "We will not give up, but there will be a different way of doing it. I can see myself having to go back to the UK to meet with people, it is just more efficient to do things over there.

"It will be very, very hard. The last time I was back, I couldn't even go into the house. I found it hard enough going to Rothley."

Mrs McCann admitted she would prefer to stay in Portugal. "I feel very close to Madeleine here," she said. "She could actually be further away from here than she is from the UK but I feel emotionally close to her here. People have told me I could do the same, if not more, back in the UK, but I can't face leaving here."

The couple agreed, however, that they need a break. "We can't keep doing the same thing week after week. The coverage will dwindle away," Mr McCann said.

In the past week the McCanns have been stung by suggestions that they could somehow be involved in their daughter's disappearance - which they strongly deny - and that they are making too many public appearances.

"We don't like the limelight," Mr McCann stressed, "and would never have chosen to do all this, but we're driven by the fact that we think it is helping Madeleine."

Today the couple, whose "find Madeleine" fund is expected to exceed £1 million by the end of this week, will fly to Morocco on the last leg of their series of foreign visits aimed at raising awareness of her plight. In spite of their carefully orchestrated publicity campaign and tireless work to trace their daughter, there has been no sign of her.

The couple have chosen Morocco because of its proximity to Portugal and its reputation as a haven for paedophiles. Mr McCann said yesterday that his daughter's disappearance "might be linked to organised abuse of children".

Ferries leave each day from Tarifa in Spain, just across the border from Portugal, on the 35-minute crossing to Tangier in Morocco. The north African country has surfaced several times in the hunt for Madeleine, with reported sightings of a little girl in the company of a man with whom she appeared uncomfortable.

Earlier in the week the McCanns delayed travelling from Berlin to Amsterdam and made preliminary plans to return to England after a mobile call to police from an unknown Spanish-speaking man who claimed to know Madeleine's whereabouts. The SIM card of the mobile used was traced to Argentina but although Portuguese police took the lead very seriously, the trail seems to have gone cold.

The owners of the apartment rented by the McCanns and the scene of Madeleine's abduction while she slept, are expected to fly to the Algarve this week. They put the flat up for rent through the Mark Warner holiday company but it is now believed they are considering selling it.

Madeleine parents 'to take stock', 10 June 2007

Madeleine parents 'to take stock' BBC News

Last Updated: Sunday, 10 June 2007, 05:12 GMT 06:12 UK

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann say they will spend the coming week reviewing the campaign to find her and allowing themselves time to grieve.

The couple have travelled across Europe in an effort to find Madeleine, four, who went missing in Portugal on 3 May.

But on their return to the Algarve on Tuesday from Morocco, Gerry and Kate McCann of Rothley, Leicestershire, say they will have a period of reflection.

Mr McCann, 39, said he did not want to hold back his emotions any more.

"There's been a lot of emotion in the last 10 days," he said.

"In the first few weeks when I slipped into dark moments of despair, I was finding it quite easy to emotionally switch a light back on, but I've been finding it increasingly difficult to do.

"More importantly, I don't want to do that any more. I want to be able to grieve and let those emotions out."

Media attention

The couple have travelled across Europe - including taking a trip to the Vatican City to make a personal appeal to the Pope - since their daughter disappeared from Praia da Luz, in the Algarve.

"We'll still meet with the Portuguese police as we have done fairly regularly and with the British police, but it is definitely going to be a period of reflection," Mr McCann said.

"We can't keep doing the same thing week after week. The [media] coverage will dwindle away. What we want to be sure of is that what we put our energy into is effective."

The couple will travel to the Moroccan capital Rabat later for a series of meetings and a news conference.

The visit to the north African country follows a reported sighting of a young girl fitting Madeleine's description at a petrol station in Marrakech.

When they return to Portugal, Mrs McCann said it would be time to withdraw from the media attention.

"When I'm speaking in public it helps take my mind off things. It's a distraction because you know that might help, but it's time to step back from that," she said.

Mr McCann said he and his wife would at some point have to make the decision to go home.

"There's been a lot of talking and thinking about that going on behind the scenes. We will not give up, but there will be a different way of doing things.

"I can see myself having to go back to the UK to meet with people, it is just more efficient to do things over there.

"It will be very, very hard. The last time I was back, I couldn't even go into the house. I found it hard enough going to Rothley."

'Can't face leaving'

Mrs McCann said she often awoke thinking it would be the day Madeleine would be found.

"I do actually feel close to Madeleine here. She could actually be further away from here than she is from the UK but I feel emotionally close to her here.

"People have told me that I could do the same, if not more, back in the UK, but I can't face leaving."

The McCanns are expected to move out of their Mark Warner holiday apartment next week and enter more permanent housing.

On Saturday a family spokesman said the couple would probably remain in Portugal at least until the end of the summer.

It is thought Madeleine was snatched from the family's apartment at the Praia da Luz resort while her parents were at a nearby restaurant.

McCanns need break to grieve, 11 June 2007

We need break to grieve Daily Mirror

11/06/2007

KATE and Gerry McCann are putting their publicity campaign on hold so they can grieve for Madeleine.

They left for Morocco yesterday to follow up a possible sighting of their daughter. But after the two-day trip, they intend to take a break.

Gerry, 39, said: "In the first few weeks when I slipped into dark moments of despair, I was finding it quite easy to emotionally switch a light back on.

"But I've been finding it increasingly difficult to do.

"I don't want to do that any more. I want to be able to grieve and let those emotions out."

He added it was Kate, 38, in particular who wanted to visit Morocco. Gerry said: "It is important. She felt strongly about it."

Parents of missing Madeleine visit Morocco, 11 June 2007

Parents of missing Madeleine visit Morocco Reuters

Monday 11 June 2007

LONDON (Reuters) - The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have taken their search to Morocco in the latest of a series of visits to raise awareness of their daughter's disappearance five weeks ago.

Kate and Gerry McCann flew from Lisbon to Casablanca on Sunday before travelling on to the Moroccan capital of Rabat.

The couple plan to visit a number of child welfare groups and meet Interior Minister, Chakib Benmoussa.

It is the latest country they have visited as part of their high-profile campaign to find four-year-old Madeleine, who was abducted from a holiday villa in the Algarve on May 3.

They have already gone to Germany and the Netherlands -- targeting the two countries because the Germans and Dutch are among the largest groups of foreign tourists in the Algarve, after Britons.

The McCanns have also taken their appeal to Spain and met the Pope during a general audience at the Vatican.

The couple intend to meet Fatima Hassar, president of the Moroccan League for the Protection of Children, and visit the National Observatory for Children's Rights on Monday morning said a spokesman for the McCanns.

The McCanns plan to return to Portugal on Tuesday, where they intend to stay for the summer, the spokesman said. Media reports over the weekend suggested Gerry McCann was preparing to leave the Algarve and return to Britain after the Morocco trip.

Children's Posters Give McCanns A Boost, 11 June 2007

Children's Posters Give McCanns A Boost Sky News

10:07pm UK, Monday June 11, 2007

More than 100 children clutching posters of Madeleine McCann greeted the missing girl's parents when they arrived in Morocco.

Children greet the McCanns

Kate and Gerry McCann were delighted by the show of support from the primary school youngsters in the capital Rabat.

Mrs McCann said: "I think if Moroccan children are anything to go by we have a very good chance of getting Madeleine back."

The posters, which had been printed at a local internet cafe, showed Madeleine's face close up.

A large one read: "Stop! Return Madeleine to her family. Please, please, please."

The McCanns have been anxious to travel to Morocco to raise awareness of her disappearance because of its closeness to Spain and Portugal.

Four-year-old Madeleine was snatched from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3.

The couple say the trip will be their last for some time as they now want time to reflect on their loss and grieve.

They will return to Portugal on Tuesday where they told a press conference they will remain for the forseeable future.

Mr McCann said: "I might have to go home for meetings but Kate and I have no immediate plans to leave Portugal.

"I cannot think about anything else at the moment other than finding Madeleine. I do not know if I would be safe to go back and practise as a doctor at the moment."

Mr McCann said they had been told by the Moroccan authorities that all assistance would be offered in the hunt for Madeleine.

Referring to thesighting of a little girl like her at a petrol filling station in Marrakech, he said they were wary of getting too excited about the claim.

Mr McCann said they had not ruled out visiting other countries in the future, but had no plans to do so at the moment.

"We have got a lot of determination and energy that we want to use in a positive fashion to influence the search."

Sky News videos, including brief interview with Martin Brunt

The Search For Madeleine Goes To Morocco

Jun 10, 2007

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have taken their campaign to Morocco, in the last of a series of visits aimed at helping find their daughter. Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt has caught up with the McCanns.

(00:01:20)

Martin Brunt In Rabat As Search Continues

Jun 11, 2007

Crime correspondent Martin Brunt is in Rabat, and has the latest on the McCann's plight to find their daughter.

(00:03:20)

McCanns: 'We Think Madeleine Is Still Alive'

Jun 12, 2007

Kate and Gerry McCann have told Sky News they think Madeleine is still alive. In an interview with Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt they say the case must not remain unsolved - and that Madeleine must be found.

(00:02:12)

Transcript

Martin Brunt: (voice over) Their recent travel over thousands of miles has shown Gerry and Kate McCann that they're not alone in their search for Madeleine and it's helped them in other ways.

Kate McCann: The work that we've been doing over the last few weeks has certainly helped Gerry, it's helped us both in that it has kept us focussed and, you know, not dwelling on Madeleine herself so much, you know we've been doing as much as we can, errm... and it's certainly helped Gerry a great deal whereas I've probably had a few moments, perhaps, not so good.

Martin Brunt: (voice over) In Morocco, their last stop to publicise their campaign to find Madeleine, they were overwhelmed by support. They met the Interior Minister and later switched on a website appeal for help in finding Madeleine.

(to McCanns) What comes next? This phase is over, what are your immediate plans?

Gerry McCann: We never, ever wanted this to be a long term campaign, we wanted the... and what we hoped was that by, errm... taking positive action it would speed things up and, you know, that hasn't happened, errr... there are some contingency plans but, errm... you know, I think we're... we're looking at event driven, errm... things to... to keep the profile up and just remind people, I suppose, and the authorities and the public, from time to time, that we will still be searching and that Madeleine is still missing.

Martin Brunt: I wanted to ask you both this question, perhaps. A very simple question: Do you still believe that Madeleine is alive?

Gerry McCann: Yeah.

Martin Brunt: And Kate?

Kate McCann: Certainly no evidence to the contrary, I mean we've said before, obviously, we've considered all scenarios but I think the fact that there's nothing to suggest otherwise, errm... gives us great hope, really. I mean, it's important we cling to that, as well.

Gerry McCann: And what, you know, we... we don't want, and you can imagine the pain, is that this must never end up an unsolved abduction...

Kate McCann: No.

Gerry McCann: ... it must have an outcome and we must find her.

Martin Brunt: (voice over) For the next few days the family want time alone to grieve for Madeleine, not for her death - for her absence. Martin Brunt, Sky News, Rabat.

Comment: When Martin Brunt asks the McCanns if they believe Madeleine is still alive, they both initially shake their heads from side-to-side, as if indicating the answer is 'No'.

McCann's Buoyed By Trip To 'Caring' Morocco, 12 June 2007

McCann's Buoyed By Trip To 'Caring' Morocco Sky News

7:41pm UK, Tuesday June 12, 2007

Madeleine McCann's parents have flown back to Portugal from Morocco where they made the last of their foreign appeals for help in tracing their daughter.

The McCanns in Morocco

Kate and Gerry McCann said they were buoyed by the trip and were still hopeful Madeleine will be found.

They are now taking time to reflect on their efforts to find the four-year-old 40 days after she was snatched from Praia da Luz.

Mr McCann said: "We are very, very glad we went. Kate pushed for it more than me.

"We were actually feeling quite negative before we went, but it was so positive.

"The Moroccans are incredibly family-oriented and they told us they were treating Madeleine's disappearance as they would a Moroccan child.

"We really felt that if she is in Morocco, they will find her."

The couple said they were also impressed by the tight border controls, making the movement of people more difficult.

Mrs McCann said: "We are feeling very reassured. They were taking the case very seriously."

The couple are now in the Algarve with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, who were being looked after by relatives.

Speaking earlier to Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt they said there was no evidence that Madeleine was not still alive.

Mrs McCann said: "We've considered all scenarios but I think the fact that there is nothing to suggest otherwise gives us great hope.

"It's important that we cling to that as well."

Mr McCann said: "This must never end up an unsolved abduction. We must find her."

The couple, both doctors,say they have no intention of returning to the UK at least until the end of the summer.

They are expected to move out of the apartment complex where they have been staying and into more permanent accomodation soon.

Smiles as children greet McCanns in Morocco, 13 June 2007

Smiles as children greet McCanns in Morocco Telegraph

By Fiona Govan in Rabat

Last Updated: 2:11AM BST 13 Jun 2007

It was a greeting they had not expected and it brought broad smiles to the faces of Kate and Gerry McCann as they visited Morocco in the last of a series of trips to publicise their daughter's disappearance.

More than 100 children lined up to meet the parents of Madeleine, who has been missing for 40 days, and held up pictures of the four-year-old as they chanted her name.

For the first time since their daughter was taken from her bed in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, the McCanns appeared relaxed and happy and said that the encounter had brought them renewed hope that their child would be returned.

"It is the best welcome we could have had to Morocco," said Mrs McCann, smiling and laughing as she thanked some of the boys and girls who had turned out to meet them in the capital, Rabat.

"I think if Moroccan children are anything to go by we have a very good chance of getting Madeleine back."

Her husband said: "I think everyone has seen today the support the Moroccan people have given Kate and I, it gives us tremendous heart.

"I truly believe that if she is in Morocco, we will find her."

The couple arrived late on Sunday for a two-day trip to the north African country, which they have been keen to visit in the search for their daughter because of its proximity to Portugal and Spain and its reputation as a haven for paedophiles.

Ferries leave eight times a day from Tarifa in Spain - a five-hour drive from the resort where Madeleine was abducted - on the 35-minute crossing to Morocco.

After a private meeting with the Moroccan interior minister, the McCanns conducted a series of talks with child protection officials.

They then held a news conference to appeal for information. It is understood they also met Morocco's most senior policeman to seek reassurances that everything was being done to investigate the possibility that their daughter is being held in the country.

The McCanns were particularly interested in learning what action had been taken to follow up a sighting of a young girl in Marrakech.

Mari Olli, a Norwegian woman, told police she was "very sure" it was Madeleine she saw at a petrol station on May 9, six days after the abduction. She said the girl asked a man in his late 30s: "Can I see mummy soon?"

During a meeting with the Moroccan League for the Protection of Children, Mr McCann said he and his wife felt it was important to go to places where Madeleine might have been taken.

"There has been no evidence that she is still in Portugal," he said. "We have concerns that she may have been moved out of Portugal very early on and abducted.

"We are very keen to learn from the child welfare groups in this country and we always hoped that by coming here we will have made a difference in helping to raise awareness."

The journey to North Africa was the last visit for the couple, who have already visited Spain, Italy, Germany and Holland.

They will return to Praia da Luz today, where their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, are being cared for by relatives.

They will then "take stock" to decide the next stage in their campaign to find Madeleine.

But Mrs McCann has said she has no intention of returning to Britain without her daughter.

	Gerry's blogs
10 Jun 2007	We attended mass this morning and the Bishop had sent a very nice message that he and everyone else was praying for Madeleine. He also said that our attitude in this time of adversity was an example for others. Contrary to some of the headlines in the Sunday papers the campaign to find Madeleine will not ease up. Kate's and my role will be different after Morocco compared to the last 3 weeks. As I said earlier we will reflect on the investigation, what the campaign has achieved and where we will be best directed. We will be less evident in the media, at least for a few days, unless there is a breakthrough in the investigation. First of all we have Morocco. We drove up to Lisbon late this afternoon to catch a flight to Casablanca where embassy officials will meet us. We were surprised to learn that a 20 seat propeller plane was sent instead of the larger aircraft. Luckily Kate, Clarence and I got squeezed on although we were certainly rather apprehensive about flying on such an aircraft- it reminded us of some of the internal flights we took in New Zealand in the mid 90's. The meeting in Rabat will follow a similar itinerary as to the European visits. We will meet with the ambassador and his staff, two children’s charities, the interior minister and possibly the chief of police. We will do two interviews for the main TV stations and the press conference will be last. I am sure we will be asked about the Marrakech siting which has been extensively reported in the press. I should be able to get some more details of this from ITV, who interviewed the witness, and hopefully the justice minister to find out what enquiries were made by the local police.'
11 Jun 2007	Gerry's original posting showed: Date: 12 June 2007, Day: 38 We spent the day in Rabat meeting 3 child welfare groups, the minister for interior and the chief of police. We had little knowledge of Morocco before coming here and have learned what a family orientated and child loving society it is. Everyone has been incredibly sympathetic and said they will do everything to help us find Madeleine. As well as the meetings there was a very touching experience outside the National Observatory for Chidren's Rights. As we pulled up in the car there were about 150 children waving posters of Madeleine with the words above and below a picture of her: ?All Moroccan Children Are With You Madeleine- Madeleine: Back Home?. They were singing and cheering Madeleine's name and shouting ?coeur?, Heart. This whole experience was uplifting and enlightening at the same time in that we had no concept that so many children in Morocco would know of Madeleine and also be internet- friendly. It is just as likely that a child will spot Madeleine and alert a responsible adult. The whole world really has changed and is a lot smaller in this computer age. If Madeleine is in Morocco we have no doubt that she will be found. We did a couple of interviews for ITV and Sky and followed up our Newspaper interviews focussing on a change in the phase of the campaign. We confirmed that there will be a period of reflection before we decide on what is the best role for Kate and I. The campaign and the search for Madeleine will continue and with everyone's help we will find her. So please stay with us.
12 Jun 2007	Gerry's original posting showed: Date: 12 June 2007, Day: 39 We finished off our trip to Morocco with a private visit to the minister for religious affairs this morning. He is an academic, senior cleric and adviser to the King of Morocco. We explained to him that although we are Roman Catholic we have received messages of support and prayers from all religious groups. Leicester, where we live, is extremely diverse culturally with a large proportion of Muslims and there were prayers for Madeline throughout Leicester on Sunday. We asked the minister if prayers could be said for Madeleine and other missing children in Morocco. He told us that people were praying for her and again emphasised that if Madeleine is in Morocco they would find her. En route to the airport a lorry had overturned blocking the exit from the motorway. The Moroccan people dealt with this in a very calm and relaxed manner, which we have found is a very engaging aspect of their character. Arriving back in Praia da Luz it was great to see Sean and Amelie. I think they were happy to see us although have been very well looked after as usual. We have no more trips planned for the immediate future and will spend the next few days taking stock. Tonight we have also gone to the church for prayers, as it is now 40 days and nights since Madeleine was abducted. No child or parent should have to endure his experience and we prayed that she would be found safe and well.

Kate's diary

11 Jun 2007

On the 11th of June, in Morocco, after Kate made a positive evaluation of the trip because there were so many photographers present, the doctor remembers "noticing" Portuguese journalists. "We didn't want to give them a story", decided the McCanns, who classify the questions from the Portuguese as "sleazy and unexpected", even after preparation meetings that last "four hours": "I was very angry at a journalist today. I told her not to do so much detective work."

- Correio da Manhã 27 July 2008