The two leaders have been the main focus of Indonesia's political speculation ever since Mr Jusuf Kalla, who is chairman of Indonesia's largest party Golkar, said last month that he was ready to run for the top post if his party asked him to.

In the latest response to questions about a tie-up with his former running mate, Dr Yudhoyono said he was not too keen about JK's - as Mr Kalla is popularly known - conditional candidacy.

'About six months ago, I was asked a question about my teaming up with JK. Had I said I would surely pair up again with Kalla, I would have been embarrassed now, because we've found out now that JK and Golkar have that position,' he said.

At the same time, however, Dr Yudhoyono left observers guessing,saying that 'in politics, anything can happen'.

His party, he told reporters on Sunday night at his home in Cikeas, West Java province, was 'willing to open our door... and are ready to team up with anyone'.

He said teaming up with Golkar was obviously a possibility, as he had a good relationship with the party, but he also did not rule out a coalition with Indonesian Democratic Party - Struggle (PDI-P).

The comments came despite a rare meeting between Mr Kalla and former president Megawati Sukarnoputri last week, which had raised speculation that the Vice-President could team up with Ms Megawati's PDI-P instead of Dr Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.

Dr Yudhoyono also revealed that he and his party would intensify talks on which party to team up with and whom to choose as his running mate by the middle of next month, following the April 9 legislative elections.

Political analysts believe that the President may not run again with Mr Kalla, but may still pick a running mate from Golkar so that he can form a stable government if he wins, as Golkar is likely to win a large number of seats in Parliament.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.