Game of thrones: Afghan leadership vacuum raises summit questions --- (Reuters) - Who, if anyone, will represent Afghanistan at next month's NATO summit is becoming an increasingly pressing and awkward question for the alliance, as it seeks to withdraw most of its troops and bring a long and deadly engagement closer to completion. -- Afghanistan's two presidential candidates remain at loggerheads, unable to agree who won an election the West hoped would signal a smooth transition of power and confirm Kabul's readiness to take over the running of the war-torn nation. -- A day before the new leader was due to be sworn in at the presidential palace in the Afghan capital, and four months after the first round of voting, the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, remains in place. -- Diplomats say that he could be invited, or pick who represents the country, at Celtic Manor in Wales on Sept. 4-5. -- The prospect of Karzai's participation raises technical problems - the constitution deems his term is already complete. - More, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/31/us-afghanistan-diplomacy-idUSKBN0G02KQ20140731