Abu Dhabi - Sharjah, one of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates, is to impose fines for smoking as a part of an anti-smoking campaign, an official said Saturday.

Salem al-Oies, head of Sharjah's local and agriculture affairs, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the new smoking fines will be implemented inside closed public and governmental buildings in addition to different modes of transport.

The fines will range from 10,000 to 20,000 dirhams (2,700 to 5,400 dollars). Al-Oies said they will be imposed on smokers of normal cigarettes, cigars and Hookahs.

The move came after the country's Health Minister Hamid al-Qamati announced on Thursday the inauguration of five new medical clinics specialized in helping smokers stop smoking.

Al-Qamati stressed that smoking kills at least five million people worldwide annually.

Official statistics have confirmed that three out of every 10 citizens in the country are smokers, while 70 per cent of smokers fail to quit.

Saturday was World No Tobacco Day. (dpa)