Swiss annoyed by Obama ads

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The Swiss government has objected to the Obama campaign's suggestion its banks are a haven for U.S. taxpayers trying to conceal assets from the IRS.

Salome Ramseier, a spokeswoman for the Swiss Embassy in Washington, said diplomats have been in touch with the campaign headquarters in Chicago about its ads, Politico reported Wednesday. The ads criticize Mitt Romney, President Obama's likely Republican opponent in the general election, for having money stashed in overseas banks, including Switzerland.

The embassy "has communicated with the Obama campaign headquarters to object to the ads giving the impression that simply having a Swiss bank account means that the account-holder is trying to hide money from the IRS," Ramseier said.

The president said Monday at a news conference that having a Swiss account "may be perfectly legal." But he said average U.S. taxpayers do not manage their finances that way.