Chilean leader to give rock from mine to queen

[October 18, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is presenting Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with a rock from the bottom of the collapsed mine where 33 men were trapped for more than two months.

Pinera is in London as part of a European tour, after the dramatic extraction of the men from the San Jose mine. He's seeking to capitalize on the wave of international admiration for the rescue to burnish Chile's image abroad.

Pinera said Monday he was bringing one rock from the bottom of the mine for the queen and another for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In an unusual, half-hour interview on the BBC, Pinera said the rescue had changed not only the miners, but the Chilean people and their government as well.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.