Peruvian Minister of Energy and Mining Rosa Maria Ortiz told a mining industry conference in the city of Arequipa that public support is beginning to shift toward support for the controversial Tia Maria mining project and that she hopes to see the operation launched before President Ollanta Humala leave office. Thousands of campesinos protesting in the city's streets, however, would strongly disagree. Activists charge that the government's policies respond to a desire to placate corporate business interests. Rael Mora reports from Lima. teleSUR