Secretary Clinton said today that she and the U.S. government support reintegration and reconciliation with Taliban members who meet specific criteria. We are "willing to support what's called reintegration -- namely, people on the battlefield coming off and going back into their society -- and reconciliation, which is a much more political process to work out terms of peace with people who [have] led the Taliban, but only on very clear conditions," she told ABC's Robin Roberts during an interview in Brussels, where she attended a NATO ministerial meeting.

Those "clear conditions" are: 

• Renouncing violence and laying down arms.
• Renouncing al Qaeda.
• Abiding by Afghan laws and the Afghan Constitution.

Clinton was cautious with her remarks and said she's unsure how many Taliban leaders would agree to these conditions. In fact she said, "I think it's highly unlikely that the leadership of the Taliban that refused to turn over bin Laden in 2001 will ever reconcile. But stranger things have happened in the history of war, but it can only happen if they [are] willing to abide by the red lines that we and the Afghan government have established."

Other the other hand, Clinton sounded somewhat optimistic about lower-level Taliban members who likely joined in the first place just to get a paycheck. "I am increasingly convinced that many of the lower-level Taliban, young men who frankly went to fight for the Taliban because they got paid more than they could make anywhere else -- I believe that they are, in increasing numbers, laying down their arms and coming back into society."

She also told Roberts, "What we are seeing is a move by the lower-level fighters, many of them, to leave the battlefield, which is all to the good because they are being convinced that this fight is no longer one they want to be part of."

Anything about the Taliban joining peace talks or becoming part of the Afghan government will make most Americans nervous. Anyone can pay mere lip service to meeting the three "red line" conditions listed above; how do you tell whether someone isn't surreptitiously supporting violence and al Qaeda on the side? I also wish Clinton had reiterated that no political reconciliation should come at the price of Afghanistan's women -- which is one of the scariest things about involving the Taliban in peace talks and the government. Back in July during her visit to Kabul, Clinton made it starkly clear that Afghan women can't be marginalized in the reconciliation process, saying:

I don't think there is such a political solution that would be a lasting, sustainable one that would turn the clock back on women. That is a recipe for a return to the kind of Afghanistan -- if not in the entire country, in significant parts of the country -- that would once again be a breeding ground for terrorism. So we've got our red lines, and they are very clear: Any reconciliation process that the United States supports, recognizing that this is an Afghan-led process, must require that anyone who wishes to rejoin society and the political system must lay down their weapons and end violence, renounce al Qaeda, and be committed to the Constitution and laws of Afghanistan, which guarantee the rights of women.

Below is an edited video of today's interview:

Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting on terrorism today, Secretary Clinton said when it comes to human rights and the rule of law, "We cannot sacrifice those values in our zeal to stop terrorists."

Alluding to the horrific maltreatment of females by Islamist extremists, Clinton went on to say, "Our values are what makes us different from those who are trying to tear down so much of the progress that has been made over the course of history, and I have to add, especially for women and girls."

Clinton said that members of the international community must work harder in their joint efforts against terrorism and strengthen the multilateral institutions in place to tackle the problem:

[O]ur joint efforts [are] only as strong as our shared commitment. And today, let me emphasize that the United States is committed to working through multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, to confront the threats posed. We are also committed to strengthening this multilateral architecture. We believe it can do better. So although we are very supportive, we want to work with all of you to improve it.

Clinton also reminded the Security Council that efforts must be made to stop people from becoming terrorists in the first place, which means "addressing the political, economic, and social conditions that make people vulnerable to exploitation by extremists." She went on to say:

For people whose lives are characterized by frustration or desperation, for people who believe that their governments are unresponsive or repressive, al Qaeda and other groups may offer an appealing view. But it is a view rooted in destruction, and we have to provide an alternative view that is rooted in hope, opportunity, and possibility.

This sounds like a huge, daunting "save the world" job, but Clinton is right -- improved political, economic, and social conditions would go a long way toward giving people an outlook of hope and opportunity and a sense that there's more to be lost than gained by joining or supporting terrorists. But giving people an "alternative view that is rooted in hope, opportunity, and possibility" (if outsiders can even do so) would be a long-term, multiyear effort that would span generations -- 25 or even 100 years, depending on whom you ask. Would the American public be up for such a long-haul effort? Perhaps if it didn't involve too much money or too many American lives lost. But this does seem to be the only true way to ultimately nip terrorism at its roots.

Here is the video of her remarks:

As Americans marked the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Secretary Clinton said, "Today I join with all Americans in honoring those who lost their lives on that terrible day. My thoughts and prayers are with their friends and families." She made the remarks in the following statement:

Nine years later, the memories of September 11, 2001 remain searingly vivid. Loved ones and friends whose lives were cut short. Brave first responders who rushed into burning buildings to save people they had never met. Dedicated construction workers and volunteers who searched tirelessly through the smoldering wreckage for survivors. Families and communities who pulled together to turn tragedy into a new birth of service and tolerance. We remember the pain of loss, but also the pride in our people and our country.

Today I join with all Americans in honoring those who lost their lives on that terrible day. My thoughts and prayers are with their friends and families, with those people who continue to suffer lasting health effects, and with the courageous men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan and elsewhere to defeat those responsible for the attacks. Let us keep all of them in our hearts today and every day. 

In the photo above, the Tribute in Light shines in downtown Manhattan, as seen from near the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Secretary Clinton condemns the bombings in Uganda that took place while people were watching the World Cup final yesterday:

I join President Obama in strongly condemning today's attacks in Kampala, Uganda targeting innocent spectators watching the World Cup final.

We understand that American citizens may have been injured or killed and our embassy is reaching out to assist. Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims, in the United States and Uganda.

At this tragic moment, the United States stands with Uganda. We have a long-standing, close friendship with the people and Government of Uganda and will work with them to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

In the photo above, taken just moments after the bombings yesterday, survivors look frightened and dazed at an Ethiopian restaurant, one of the sites of the bombings.

Secretary Clinton said today that Yemen's instability is "an urgent national security priority." She made the remarks in London where she attended a meeting about Yemen in the wake of the Christmas Day underpants bomber. In a news conference after the meeting, she said:

To help the people of Yemen, we -- the international community -- must do more.… The government of Yemen must also do more. This must be a partnership if it is to have a successful outcome."

At the meeting, she said, according to prepared remarks:

Yemen's challenges are not going to be solved by military action alone."

and:

Progress against violent extremists and progress toward a better future for the Yemeni people … will also depend on fortifying development effort."

Clinton also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (below) and pushed for tough international sanctions against Iran if it can't prove its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Hope my fellow Americans had a great Labor Day weekend. Here's today's Hillary Clinton news brief:

•A plot by al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants to bomb the hotel where Secretary Clinton was staying during her visit to Nairobi, Kenya, last month (shown above) was foiled at the last minute, The Australian reports. Very scary.

[Update (Sept. 10): This story might not be true -- see stacyx's comment below. FP regrets any error; at the time of posting, the story seemed credible.]

•This morning Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrated the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in New York Harbor by welcoming Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.

•This afternoon, Clinton will be back in Washington to bilateral with Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates.

•Clinton's husband Bill gave an interview with Esquire magazine. The print version will be available in the October issue, which'll hit newsstands Sept. 14.

•Do any of you live in the Orlando, Fla., area? An exhibit at the Presidents Hall of Fame features the roughly 35 women -- most from lesser-known parties -- who have made a bid for the U.S. presidential nomination. Included is a replica of a navy-blue suit worn by Clinton.

Photo: SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images

While in Mumbai, India, Secretary Clinton is staying in a three-room suite at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, which was badly damaged during last November's terrorist siege of the city. The entire floor she's staying on has been cordoned off, and about 200 police officers are stationed around the hotel, reports German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

On Saturday, Clinton is expected to engage in remembrance events for the victims of the siege, including visits to attack sites and meeting with survivors. On Sunday, she'll be off to New Delhi, the capital.

Although Clinton with be discussing how India and the United States can strengthen their strategic partnership and forge initiatives in a number of areas -- counterterrorism, trade, agriculture, etc. -- an important focus of her talks will be nuclear cooperation. The two countries signed an important deal last year that permits American companies to sell nuclear material and equiment to India for civilian use even though India hasn't signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It is also expected that there will be an announcement of two sites for nuclear power plants to be built by American companies for $10 billion.

Photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images

Some people in Sri Lanka apparently think Secretary Clinton is aiding and abetting terrorism. Also "implicated" are British Foreign Minister David Miliband (left in posters) and Erik Solheim, the Norwegian international development minister, according to the posters photographed today in the capital city of Colombo.

Earlier this year, FP named the Sri Lanka conflict as one of world's "insurgencies that refuse to die." In a nutshell, the Tamil Tigers want an independent Tamil state*, free of control from the island's Sinhalese Buddhist majority. The group -- formally called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.

Presently, some 50,000 civilians are trapped in a 4-square-mile area of LTTE-held territory. The State Department is concerned about the humanitarian situation. At yesterday's press briefing, Robert Wood, the department's acting spokesman, said: "we're calling on the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers to cease hostilities and to do what they can to protect civilians and to allow food and medicine and other things into that area to meet the needs of the Sri Lankan people who are affected by this conflict."

Meanwhile, Miliband and the French foreign minister have been trying to get the Sri Lankan government to implement a cease-fire. As for U.S. diplomacy, Clinton phoned Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee last week, and Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher has been "heavily involved." However, no senior U.S. government official has plans to travel to Sri Lanka, and no conference regarding the conflict has been proposed.

For related FP content, read last week's "Day of Reckoning in Sri Lanka."

*This updates original wording that stated "independent Hindu Tamil state."

Photo: LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images