JAKARTA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The price of shares in Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoRan Inc, being offered to the government under divestment rules is too expensive, the state-owned enterprises minister said on Tuesday.

Rini Soemarno told reporters that state-owned enterprises (SOE) are still interested in purchasing shares in Freeport Indonesia but the proposed price of $1.7 billion is too expensive.

"We are still interested. SOE companies should have big mines, because these mines belong to Indonesia," Soemarno said.

(Reporting by Cindy Silviana; Writing by Nicholas Owen)