U.S. deserter seeking German asylum

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KARLSRUHE, Germany, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Army deserter says he's looking forward to telling his side of the story at an upcoming political asylum hearing in Germany.

Andre Shepherd, formerly of Cleveland, will attend a court hearing in Karlsruhe, Germany, this week in an attempt to gain asylum in the country, where he's been living openly since surfacing there in November, the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Sunday.

"I have my first chance to tell my complete side of the story," Shepherd told the newspaper, saying he is prepared to embrace a new homeland. "I feel I don't have to prove myself anymore. I just want to be able to be myself and be able to talk to people."

Military officials say Shepherd went AWOL while posted in southern Germany in April 2007, living underground with help from friends. He contends his enlistment in the Army was a contract that was broken because former President George Bush "lied to the nation, to the world at large and he also lied to the U.S. military" about the war in Iraq and why the nation is involved.