diff --git a/icu4j/eclipse-build/build-local.properties.template b/icu4j/eclipse-build/build-local.properties.template
index dd6acb6530a..4bc5f357ce6 100644
--- a/icu4j/eclipse-build/build-local.properties.template
+++ b/icu4j/eclipse-build/build-local.properties.template
@@ -30,4 +30,10 @@
 #
 # For example: java.rt=C:/ibmjava5/jre/lib/vm.jar;C:/ibmjava5/jre/lib/core.jar;C:/ibmjava5/jre/lib/graphics.jar;C:/ibmjava5/jre/lib/xml.jar
 #
+# NOTE:    slashes must be forward slashes. Backslashes will NOT work.
+#
+#			IF java.rt variable has embedded space(s)...
+#          ...each element containing an embedded space java.rt must indivudually quoated and the elements separated by a semi-colon.
+#                 ex. "C:/Program Files/IBM/Java50JDK/jre/lib/vm.jar";"C:/Program Files/IBM/Java50JDK/jre/lib/core.jar"
+#                                                                   ^^^
 java.rt=
diff --git a/icu4j/eclipse-build/build.xml b/icu4j/eclipse-build/build.xml
index 269fbece048..85d3378435c 100644
--- a/icu4j/eclipse-build/build.xml
+++ b/icu4j/eclipse-build/build.xml
@@ -92,14 +92,23 @@
           depends="checkProps,initEclipseLauncher,initEclipseOSGiJar,initEclipsePDE"
           description="Initialize eclipse PDE build environment">
     <echo message="[PDE build configuration properties]"/>
+    <echo message="    Ant version:     ${ant.version}"/>
     <echo message="    Eclipse home:    ${eclipse.home}"/>
     <echo message="    Launcher jar:    ${eclipse.launcher}"/>
     <echo message="    OSGi bundle jar: ${eclipse.osgi.jar}"/>
     <echo message="    Base OS:         ${eclipse.baseos}"/>
     <echo message="    Base WS:         ${eclipse.basews}"/>
     <echo message="    Base ARCH:       ${eclipse.basearch}"/>
-  </target>
+    <echo message="    java.rt:         ${java.rt}"/>
+      
+    <!-- try and detect use of backslashes  -->
+    <condition property="java-rt-has-noSlashes">
+        <matches pattern="/" string="${java.rt}"/>
+    </condition>      
+    <fail message="java.rt variable has no slashes!" unless="java-rt-has-noSlashes"/>
 
+  </target>
+    
   <target name="initEclipseLauncher"
           if="eclipse.home"
           description="Locate org.eclipse.equinox.launcher jar file for eclipse 3.3 and beyond">