Portuguese police have insisted they will solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

 

Faro police chief Guilhermino Encarnacao, who is in charge of coordinating the investigation into the missing girl, has brushed off criticism of his force.

 

He insisted the to insist the case was moving forward.

Madeleine McCann investigators have been locked in a war of words with the four-year-old's parents and their press spokesman Clarence Mitchell following the leaking of the couple's police statements.

 

Last week Mr Mitchell demanded an inquiry into how the McCanns' witness statements - given shortly after their daughter vanished - had been leaked and claimed it was another attempt to smear the couple.

 

In a rare public statement, the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) then criticised Mr Mitchell for his "baseless intervention".

 

Dr Encarnacao, speaking after a meeting between public prosecutors and police who travelled to Britain for fresh interviews with the McCanns' holiday friends, said: "Everything's going well.

 

"The inquiries carried out in the UK are progressing in the best way possible."

He said the police were not "vulnerable to pressure" from any party involved.

"The investigation will bring its results, whoever they hurt."

 

The pledge came as a clairvoyant claimed Madeleine McCann died in an accident.

Last week it emerged that Robert Murat, the British expatriate made a formal suspect over the disappearance of Madeleine, has begun one of the largest libel claims in the history of British media.

 

The 34-year-old, who lived close to the Portugal apartment where the missing girl was last seen, has launched libel proceedings against 11 newspapers and one television network.