Benetton has a reputation for controversial ad campaigns. Previous ones have featured issues such as race, Aids and abortion.

But a new campaign, featuring unlikely matchups of world leaders passionately kissing, has outraged some and drawn condemnation from a variety of corners.

It features images of President Obama kissing Chinese leader Hu Jianto, Obama kissing Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, and Pope Benedict XVI kissing Egyptian Iman  Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb – the last image withdrawn after staunch Vatican protest .

German Chancellor Angela Merkel smooches French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas puckers up with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

What do you think? Poor taste, or good fun?

Images taken from www.huffingtonpost.com