diff -pu a/configure.in b/configure.in
--- a/configure.in	2009-12-04 11:02:26.000000000 +0100
+++ b/configure.in	2009-12-03 22:08:05.000000000 +0100
@@ -2117,14 +2117,21 @@ if test "$build" != "$host" -a "$GCC" = 
     dnl the linker. Stripping off the trailing '/bin/ld' gives us a candiate
     dnl for a 'root' below which libraries and headers for the target system
     dnl might be installed.
-    if cross_root=`$CC -print-prog-name=ld 2>/dev/null`; then
+    m4_pattern_allow([^PKG_CONFIG_SYSROOT_DIR$])
+    if test ! -z "$PKG_CONFIG_SYSROOT_DIR"; then
+	    cross_root="$PKG_CONFIG_SYSROOT_DIR"
+    elif cross_root=`$CC -print-prog-name=ld 2>/dev/null`; then
         cross_root=`dirname $cross_root`
         cross_root=`dirname $cross_root`
+    else
+	cross_root=""
+    fi
 
-        dnl substitute this candiate root for '^/usr' in the search lists,
-        dnl strip out any that don't start '^/usr'.
-        SEARCH_LIB=`for x in $SEARCH_LIB; do echo $x; done | sed -ne "s|^/usr|$cross_root|p"`
-        SEARCH_INCLUDE=`for x in $SEARCH_INCLUDE; do echo $x; done | sed -ne "s|^/usr|$cross_root|p"`
+    if test ! -z "$cross_root"; then
+        dnl substitute this candiate root for '^/' in the search lists,
+        dnl strip out any that don't start '^/'.
+        SEARCH_LIB=`for x in $SEARCH_LIB; do echo $x; done | sed -ne "s|^/|$cross_root/|p"`
+        SEARCH_INCLUDE=`for x in $SEARCH_INCLUDE; do echo $x; done | sed -ne "s|^/|$cross_root/|p"`
         SEARCH_INCLUDE="$SEARCH_INCLUDE $cross_root/include"
 
         dnl also have pkg-config search for *.pc files under this 'root'