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Nabucco pipeline project seeking to pump Caspian gas to European markets bypassing Russia may be affected by the maritime dispute between Romania and Bulgaria, a leading analyst at a Washington-based think-tank says.

Vladimir Socor, Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, wrote in an article, published on Jamestown Foundation`s website, that Romania`s Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu recently said a ``legal dispute`` exists between Romania and Bulgaria over the delimitation of their maritime border, continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones in the Black Sea.

According to Diaconescu, the border dispute is about 17 square kilometers, which is not much. However Diaconescu added that there is no reason why ``these issues should not get settled very quickly``.

Bulgaria and Romania have been negotiating the delimitation of their Black Sea territories for more than 20 years. According to the Romanian ministry`s statement, the next round of talks is to be held this year.

``According to subsequent Romanian clarifications, the disputed maritime area measures some 350 square kilometers in a critical location. It forms a triangle, centered on the point at which Romania`s, Bulgaria`s, and Turkey`s respective exclusive economic zones converge,`` Socor says.

He stressed that, according to Romania`s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, the Nabucco pipeline might run from Turkey directly to Romania on the seabed, bypassing Bulgaria, and this could become a possibility, if Romania wins the seabed portion that would connect its exclusive economic zone with Turkey`s.

``This ``if`` seems big if in the first place; but even in that eventuality, there is no basis for assuming that Caspian gas suppliers or transit pipeline owners would consider such an idea,`` Socor said.

As an attempt to build Romanian negotiating leverage against Bulgaria, it lacks credibility, he said.