The delayed 12th ministerial level talks between Nepal and Bhutan to discuss a 12-year refugee issue will begin Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said.

Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigme Y. Thinley arrived in Kathmandu for the talks Wednesday as head of a five-member team. Foreign Minister Narendra Bikram Shah broke a stalemate after a visit to Thimpu last month and urged Bhutan to start the talks which Nepal hopes will begin the repatriation of 100,000 refugees of Nepalese origin from seven camps in Jhapa and Morang.

The 13th round of talks will be held immediately in Thimpu in March to examine the status of the displaced persons in one of the camps in Jhapa where joint teams have already completed a study of the status of the refugees.

The camp refugees are on an indefinite relay hunger strike to press for their repatriation with threats from refugees in other camps to join their colleagues. The talks are being held before next month’s talks in Switzerland where Bhutan’s donors are reviewing development assistance; refugees are urging donors to promote human rights in the Buddhist kingdom.