Indonesia has rejected a U.S. proposal at the UN Security Council for UN authorization to pursue pirates ashore in Somalia, citing its implications for Indonesia and key straits within its territory, a Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.

The council is expected to decide Tuesday (Wednesday in Jakarta) on the matter as countries begin to take stronger measures to deal with rampant piracy off the Somali coast.

Pirates there have enjoyed a bumper 2008, attacking more than 100 ships and raking in around US$120 million in ransoms.

The U.S. proposal says law enforcement against piracy at sea must include related activities conducted on land, said Arief Havas Oegroseno, the ministry's director general for legal and international treaties.

Although the proposal applies solely to Somalia, Havas said the draft resolution was loosely worded, raising fears it could be generalized in future for application in other jurisdictions.

He argued this scenario could affect Indonesia, which manages three of the world's 13 major straits -- the Malacca, Lombok and Sunda straits.

"We are hoping a consensus can be reached on this matter. But if not, we will seek a vote," Havas added.

The Malacca Strait is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, allowing 70,000 ships carrying a quarter of the world's traded goods, including oil, to pass through each year.

Piracy there has faded rapidly since 2006, following coordinated patrols by border states Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

China, one of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, has also expressed reservations over the U.S. proposal.

AP reports that China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui said China wanted "increased international cooperation to fight piracy, but on the other hand we would also like to emphasize that the political process... must be handled as well".

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in an interview on Monday with AP, said she would push for the proposal during her visit to the UN on Tuesday, insisting the U.S. was united behind the idea that any force, U.S or otherwise, might need to take on pirates under "hot pursuit" on land.

Indonesia is an elected non-permanent member of the Security Council; its two-year term expires at the end of this month.

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