Several shopping centers in Costa Rica are joining the worldwide fight against cigarette smoke, TV's Teletica reported.

Mall owner Grupo Roble has banned smoking from its premises, in step with prohibitions in bars and restaurants, public places and workplaces that have gone into force in countries around the world including renowned smokers' havens such as Italy and France.

The Costa Rican government signed a World Health Organization agreement in 2003 aimed at reducing smoking in the country, which has more than 750,000 smokers, according to the Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (IAFA).

The aim of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is to reduce an estimated 5 million smoking-related deaths each year.

The Legislative Assembly, however, has yet to ratify the accord.

Bans have made some headway in Latin America in recent years. Argentina, for example, in October 2006 outlawed smoking in Buenos Aires' restaurants, bars, shopping malls and many other closed spaces. Other countries such as Brazil have passed similar laws.