BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi leaders insisted that a draft constitution will be presented to parliament by today's deadline, despite Sunni objections to a federated state and other key provisions in the charter.

Some leaders of Iraq's factions suggested asking parliament to extend the deadline as they scrambled in last-minute talks to reach agreement.

But under strong U.S. pressure to stick to the timetable, Iraq's national security adviser and a government spokesman said the draft constitution will be presented to parliament later today.

"It will be today. It will be a historic day in the history of Iraq," Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie told CNN a little over an hour before the National Assembly was to meet on the issue.

Government spokesman Laith Kubba also said there would be no delay in submitting the charter.

"Every group knows what they will lose if they don't reach an agreement," Kubba told state-run Iraqiya television. "Therefore, I can say that the agreement is in place but the final touches are being put on. It will be handed over on time."

Earlier today, Shiite and Kurdish leaders signaled they were prepared to submit the draft to parliament this evening - even if they had to do so over Sunni Arab objections.

That risked a backlash among Sunni Arabs, who form the core of the insurgency, which could undermine the American goal of using the constitution to lure away Sunnis from the insurgency.

With stakes so high, public positions among the factions changed by the hour.

The United States, which has pressured Iraqi officials to meet the deadline, hopes the constitution will serve as a major step in luring Sunnis away from the insurgency so that American and other foreign troops can begin to go home next year.

Shiite lawmaker Hassan al-Sunnaid said earlier Monday there were "no deadlocks" and the draft would be submitted to the National Assembly at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT). Moments later, Sunni Arab members Kamal Hamdoun and Haseeb Aref said no agreement had been reached on federalism and other divisive issues that have blocked an agreement for weeks.

With al-Sunnaid's statements clearly too optimistic, a lawmaker from the biggest Shiite party, Jalaladin al-Shagir, said political leaders were leaning toward extending the deadline for up to a month.

Another option expressed was to ignore Sunni objections, submit the document to parliament as planned and try to win over the Sunni public before an Oct. 15 referendum on the charter.

"I personally support postponing" parliamentary approval until Sept. 15, Aref said Monday. "I don't expect them to hand the draft today because there is no unanimity."

Sunni Arabs have asked that the issue of federalism be put off until next year. Shiites and Kurds, the two other major groups in the country, are pushing for autonomous regions in the southern and northern parts of Iraq, but Sunnis fear the proposal could split Iraq.

Sunnis also oppose other proposals endorsed by the Shiites and Kurds, including proposals for a special status for the Shiite clerical leadership and a formula for distributing oil wealth and dual citizenship.

But Shiites and Kurds dominate the 275-member National Assembly - as well as the constitutional committee - and could ram through the charter over Sunni Arab objects. Other options include amending the interim constitution to extend the deadline or dissolving parliament.

Sunnis - who boycotted the Jan. 30 vote for an interim parliament - could defeat the constitution in the national referendum. If two-thirds of the voters in three provinces vote against the constitution, it would be defeated. Sunni Arabs form the majority in at least four provinces.

Sunni clerics have urged followers to vote against any constitution that could lead to the breakup of the country

"It looks like all the agreements are being made only by the Kurds and the Shiites without even asking our opinion," Sunni Arab official Saleh al-Mutlaq said Sunday. "I believe the draft is going to be presented tomorrow even if it is not finished, with or without our approval."

An extension would require approval of two-thirds of parliament and the president and his two deputies.

American officials applied pressure to resolve differences on that and other issues before today's deadline - despite the risks of alienating the Sunnis.

"The Iraqis tell me that they can finish it and they will finish it tomorrow," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Sunday in a televised interview.

Khalilzad said "a lot of American blood and American treasure has been spent here" - a point that he had made "abundantly clear to my Iraqi interlocutors."

The U.S. military said Sunday that five soldiers had been killed in roadside bombings over the weekend, and at least 11 Iraqis were killed in scattered violence across the country. A grave with 30 bodies was also found by Iraqi commandos in southern Baghdad.

Violence continued today. In Khalis, 50 miles north of Baghdad, gunmen killed three people in separate shootings, including a municipal council member and his driver, police said. Four others were wounded.

Police said gunmen killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded three others at a checkpoint in Buhriz, 35 miles north of Baghdad.

In west Baghdad, an insurgent ambush killed one Iraqi soldier and injured another, police Capt. Talib Thamir said. A mortar struck the rear courtyard of the Interior Ministry, wounding five troops and three civilians, police Lt. Col. Fouad Assad said.

In Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, the body of a government food program worker was found, police said. In the nearby village of Khirnabat, police said today a roadside bomb had killed one civilian the day before.