Berlin  - Germany appealed Wednesday for a halt in the fighting that has escalated in the region near Goma, Congo.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Berlin called on both sides to lay down their arms and return to the negotiating table.

"The conflicts in the region can only be resolved by dialogue," said the spokesman. Germany viewed the escalation with "great concern" and feared a "political and humanitarian disaster" in the Kivu area of Congo. (dpa)