MUMBAI: Following the CNBC Strategic Forum: The New Indonesia 2005: Policy and Action, which took place in Jakarta 24 January, CNBC has kicked off its comprehensive series of specials on the country with an exclusive interview with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in The CNBC Conversation.  

In his first international television interview since the 26 December tsunami tragedy, Yudhoyono talks to CNBC's Lisa Oake about dealing with the disaster, security issues in Jakarta and the urgent need to boost the economy.

The CNBC Conversation is an award-winning interview programme that recently featured key figures such as Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

CNBC Asia Pacific senior vice president news programming Cynthia Owens said, "President Yudhoyono has only been in office for about 100 days and he's facing some big challenges. We are proud that the president chose to talk to CNBC and we think this interview will be of great interest to CNBC's viewers across Asia."