SAN BERNARDINO - Allies throughout the Cold War, the United States and Saudi Arabia face new tensions after Sept. 11 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"We appear, quite frankly, to be at a dangerous crossroads in our relationship," Cal State San Bernardino President Al Karnig said Thursday during a joint conference with King Saud University, located in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Cal State San Bernardino is one of three American universities selected to host this conference, which brought together U.S. and Saudi scholars to discuss relations between the two countries.

The Saudis' impression of Americans is getting worse, according to a July 2003 Zogby International Survey. While most say they have no quarrel with the American people, their overall impression of Americans is 70 percent unfavorable, up from 51 percent in 2002.

This year, 94 percent had an unfavorable impression of American policy toward the Palestinians, and 81 percent showed an unfavorable impression of American policy toward Iraq.

American suspicion of Saudi Arabia may be growing as well. In November, the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2003 was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The bill, in committee in both houses, points to reports blaming Saudis for funding al-Qaida, Palestinian suicide bombers and religious institutions that teach hate and intolerance and notes that Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers were Saudi citizens.

The bill seeks unrestricted and unobstructed cooperation in U.S. investigations of terror groups and those who finance them. It demands that Saudi Arabia block private and government funding of terror organizations and close all charities, schools and other organizations that fund, train, incite or encourage terrorism.

If the bill passes and the Saudi government doesn't meet these requests, the United States could refuse to sell them military supplies and other items and restrict travel of Saudi diplomats in the United States.

The Accountability Act, Professor Adel A. Al-Abdulkarim said, could damage U.S.-Saudi Arabian relations.

"Saudi Arabia has been fully cooperative in the war on terror," he said.

Othman Al-Rawaf, a professor and member of the Saudi Consultative Council, agreed.

"The solution they're providing is wrong," Al-Rawaf said. "They say, 'Close the schools.' No. We should take our schools back. That is something we're already working on."

Every parent has a stake in making sure school leaders don't turn their children into radicals, he said.

"This is a very healthy process, and it's going to add to our stability," Al-Rawaf said.

As far as financing terror organizations, several Saudi delegates said that some money intended for humanitarian relief may have been misused by organizations. Again, they said, their government is working on this issue.

Adding to the U.S.-Saudi tension is the Israel-Palestine conflict, in which the United States has generally supported Israel, and Saudi Arabia has sided with Palestine.

Saudi Arabia's foreign policy, professor Al-Abdulkarim said, is based on three main tenets: Commitment to the unity of the Arab world and community of Islamic faith; strong support of the Palestinian cause; and promotion of peace and moderation.