AFP - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki appealed Monday to the United Nations to take action against Iraq's neighbours for meddling in its internal affairs as he met with a UN special envoy.

The Iraqi premier also said three people behind twin suicide bombings in central Baghdad last week that killed more than 150 people had confessed to receiving help from Syria.

He made the comments during talks with UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, here to access the capital's security following the bombings and similar attacks in August that left about 100 dead.

"It is time for the UN to act to stop the bloodshed," Maliki said during a meeting with Fernandez-Taranco, according to a statement from his office.

"All mediation on this subject has not reached a result and that is why we have gone to the UN.

"We believe that a UN statement warning neighbouring countries and requesting them not to interfere in our internal affairs would be the best way to mediate," Maliki said.

Fernandez-Taranco's visit comes after persistent lobbying by Iraq for an independent probe into the two sets of attacks.

The diplomat said he was in Iraq to get a general idea of the country's security, while adding the United Nations was considering the request for an inquiry, according to the statement from Maliki's office.

Maliki, meanwhile, said three supporters of the Baath Party of now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein had confessed to receiving support from Syrian Baathists.

"Three members of the Baath Party were responsible for the recent terrorist operation," he said. "They were receiving support from the Syrian Baath Party and confessed to this."

The twin suicide vehicle bombings targeting government offices in central Baghdad on October 25 killed 153 people and wounded more than 500, attacks claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Authorities have allocated around 16 million dollars to rebuild the ministries of justice and public works and the Baghdad provincial government building which were badly damaged in the huge blasts.

The recent attacks helped dramatically increase the overall death toll in Iraq for the month of October, with twice as many people killed violently than in September.

Statistics compiled by the defence, interior and health ministries showed 343 civilians, 42 police and 25 soldiers were killed last month, with only the military figure falling from September.

The figures were markedly higher than the previous month, which saw a total of 203 people die as a result of violence, the lowest death toll since May, offering cautious optimism security was improving in Iraq.

The October figures were, however, lower than the overall death toll in August, when 456 people died as a result of violence.

The latest figures come after both senior Iraqi and US generals warned of a possible upswing in violence in the lead-up to parliamentary elections slated for January.

Iraq's army chief Lieutenant General Ali Ghaidan Majeed and Major General John D. Johnson, the deputy commanding general for US operations in Iraq, both told AFP in interviews that insurgents could use violence to undermine the government and security forces in the run-up to the polls.