LISBON, PORTUGAL - THE head of Portugal's police says authorities were hasty in naming the parents of Madeleine McCann suspects in her disappearance, increasing pressure for the British couple to be cleared as suspects in the investigation.

Alipio Ribeiro said in an interview published on Portuguese daily Publico on Sunday that there was 'a certain hastiness' in making Kate and Gerry McCann suspects four months after Madeleine vanished from their holiday apartment in the Algarve.

'At the moment, at a distance, and with the experience I have as a magistrate in the public prosecutor's office, maybe a different evaluation should have been made,' he said. 'I have no doubt about that.'

Asked whether authorities were hasty in making the British couple suspects in Madeleine's disappearance, Mr Ribeiro replied: 'There was a certain hastiness.'

His comments prompted an immediate response from the McCanns' spokesman, who urged Portuguese authorities to drop their 'arguido' suspect status immediately as it was hampering the search for Madeleine.

'In the light of Mr Ribeiro's remarks, we urge the Portuguese judicial authorities to act humanely by removing their arguido status as swiftly as possible,' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said.

'Not only does it continue to damage their reputation in the eyes of the world, it is also directly hampering the search for Madeleine,' he added in a statement on the official website to help find Madeleine www.findmadeleine.com.

Difficult

Madeleine was left asleep with her younger brother Sean and sister Amelie in the family holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, just days before her fourth birthday.

Her parents say she was abducted from the apartment while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.

Briton Robert Murat, 33, who lives in the same resort in the tourist region of the Algarve where the blonde-haired girl went missing remains the only other suspect.

Authorities have investigated a number of possible sightings of Madeleine - from Morocco to Argentina - during the 10-month long investigation but have so far produced no concrete results.

Portuguese police chief Mr Ribeiro, whose officers have been criticised for the lengthy investigation, said that while his men continue to do their best to find Madeleine their work has difficult and requires patience.

'We have assigned the best men. There is a multi-task team of officers that continues to work on the case, but all this work is a work of patience,' he said. 'You have to understand that, since the beginning, this case was difficult.'

Last year, Portuguese police said it was likely that Madeleine may be dead but Gerry and Kate have repeatedly said they continue to pray for the return of their daughter.

The couple say they are innocent and launched a high-profile campaign which included televised appeals for her return by British soccer star David Beckham and millions of pounds in reward to anyone who finds Madeleine.

'Sean and Amelie turned three today. We hope and pray that they will never have another birthday without Madeleine here,' Gerry McCann wrote in his latest blog entry on Friday, day 274 since Madeleine went missing. -- REUTERS