"Washington's effort coming into conflict with Saudi Arabia ..."

in the WSJ, here

"..."The big outstanding question about the conference is Saudi Arabia," said a senior official involved in the aid discussions. "They are closely aligned with Sharif."...... The U.S. has long voiced skepticism about Mr. Sharif, citing his ties to Islamist parties. Mr. Zardari leads Pakistan's largest political party, which is secular and largely viewed as pro-Western.....Saudi officials have voiced reservations in general about providing aid through multilateral forums ....

The Tokyo conference could also serve as another forum for senior U.S. and Iranian officials to meet. Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, will head the U.S. delegation. Tehran said it is sending Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki...."