World Leaders Kiss in an Advertising Campaign

The Benetton Italian clothing firm launched a campaign against hatred entitled “Unhate” in which world leaders, each with completely opposite ideological thoughts, kiss on the mouth as a symbol of peace.

Among the ‘controversial kisses’ are the ones of the U.S. President Barack Obama with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez; the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Benedict XVI with the magnet Egyptian mosque, Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. Obama also gives a kiss to his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in front of Milan Cathedral.

In another picture, the so-called Franco-German couple (French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel) gives each other a torrid kiss.

The other two images show the controversial Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kissing with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. (BG)