WASHINGTON INSIGHT

CRACKDOWN BACKING: Algeria quietly sent a special envoy to Washington earlier this month in search of sympathy for its crackdown against fundamentalist Muslim militants and for its cancellation of parliamentary elections. By all accounts, the sympathy came through. . . . The envoy, Redha Malek, said his government canceled elections because the party that appeared almost sure to win--the fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front--would have “destroyed democracy.” U.S. officials largely agreed but added that the Bush Administration wants to see more evidence that Algeria’s state of emergency, imposed Feb. 9, eventually will lead to democratic elections.