diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/rbbiscan.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/rbbiscan.cpp
index 5c3b15f2c98..f66a019f873 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/rbbiscan.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/rbbiscan.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 //
 //  file:  rbbiscan.cpp
 //
-//  Copyright (C) 2002-2006, International Business Machines Corporation and others.
+//  Copyright (C) 2002-2007, International Business Machines Corporation and others.
 //  All Rights Reserved.
 //
 //  This file contains the Rule Based Break Iterator Rule Builder functions for
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include "unicode/uchriter.h"
 #include "unicode/parsepos.h"
 #include "unicode/parseerr.h"
-#include "uprops.h"
+#include "util.h"
 #include "cmemory.h"
 #include "cstring.h"
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ RBBIRuleScanner::RBBIRuleScanner(RBBIRuleBuilder *rb)
     //            and the time to build these few sets should be small compared to a
     //            full break iterator build.
     fRuleSets[kRuleSet_rule_char-128]       = new UnicodeSet(gRuleSet_rule_char_pattern,       *rb->fStatus);
-    fRuleSets[kRuleSet_white_space-128]     = (UnicodeSet*) uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(rb->fStatus);
+    fRuleSets[kRuleSet_white_space-128]     = uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(rb->fStatus);
     fRuleSets[kRuleSet_name_char-128]       = new UnicodeSet(gRuleSet_name_char_pattern,       *rb->fStatus);
     fRuleSets[kRuleSet_name_start_char-128] = new UnicodeSet(gRuleSet_name_start_char_pattern, *rb->fStatus);
     fRuleSets[kRuleSet_digit_char-128]      = new UnicodeSet(gRuleSet_digit_char_pattern,      *rb->fStatus);
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/uset.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/uset.cpp
index 98fc7076aac..91cd17bb89a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/uset.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/uset.cpp
@@ -303,18 +303,6 @@ uset_getItem(const USet* uset, int32_t itemIndex,
 //    return TRUE;
 //}
 
-U_CAPI USet* U_EXPORT2
-uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(UErrorCode* ec) {
-    if(U_FAILURE(*ec)) {
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    // create a set with the Pattern_White_Space characters,
-    // without a pattern for fewer code dependencies
-    UnicodeSet *set=new UnicodeSet(9, 0xd);
-    set->UnicodeSet::add(0x20).add(0x85).add(0x200e, 0x200f).add(0x2028, 0x2029);
-    return (USet *)set;
-}
-
 /*
  * Serialize a USet into 16-bit units.
  * Store BMP code points as themselves with one 16-bit unit each.
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/uset_imp.h b/icu4c/source/common/uset_imp.h
index c826f49faec..d9916f40351 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/uset_imp.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/uset_imp.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
 *******************************************************************************
 *
-*   Copyright (C) 2004-2005, International Business Machines
+*   Copyright (C) 2004-2007, International Business Machines
 *   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 *
 *******************************************************************************
@@ -52,16 +52,5 @@ typedef struct USetAdder USetAdder;
 
 U_CDECL_END
 
-/**
- * Get the set of "white space" characters in the sense of ICU rule
- * parsers.  Caller must close/delete result.
- * Equivalent to the set of characters with the Pattern_White_Space Unicode property.
- * Stable set of characters, won't change.
- * See UAX #31 Identifier and Pattern Syntax: http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr31/
- * @internal
- */
-U_CAPI USet* U_EXPORT2
-uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(UErrorCode* ec);
-
 #endif
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/util.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/util.cpp
index 7a588b5ae63..e456047c0e8 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/util.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/util.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /*
 **********************************************************************
-*   Copyright (c) 2001-2006, International Business Machines
+*   Copyright (c) 2001-2007, International Business Machines
 *   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 **********************************************************************
 *   Date        Name        Description
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include "util.h"
 #include "unicode/unimatch.h"
+#include "unicode/uniset.h"
 
 // Define UChar constants using hex for EBCDIC compatibility
 
@@ -427,4 +428,16 @@ uprv_isRuleWhiteSpace(UChar32 c) {
              c == 0x200E || c == 0x200F || c >= 0x2028));
 }
 
+U_CAPI UnicodeSet* U_EXPORT2
+uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(UErrorCode* ec) {
+    if(U_FAILURE(*ec)) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    // create a set with the Pattern_White_Space characters,
+    // without a pattern for fewer code dependencies
+    UnicodeSet *set=new UnicodeSet(9, 0xd);
+    set->UnicodeSet::add(0x20).add(0x85).add(0x200e, 0x200f).add(0x2028, 0x2029);
+    return set;
+}
+
 //eof
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/util.h b/icu4c/source/common/util.h
index 6af528b02f8..dd1fb1af181 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/util.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/util.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 U_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
 
 class UnicodeMatcher;
+class UnicodeSet;
 
 class U_COMMON_API ICU_Utility /* not : public UObject because all methods are static */ {
  public:
@@ -234,6 +235,17 @@ private:
 
 U_NAMESPACE_END
 
+/**
+ * Get the set of "white space" characters in the sense of ICU rule
+ * parsers.  Caller must close/delete result.
+ * Equivalent to the set of characters with the Pattern_White_Space Unicode property.
+ * Stable set of characters, won't change.
+ * See UAX #31 Identifier and Pattern Syntax: http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr31/
+ * @internal
+ */
+U_CAPI UnicodeSet* U_EXPORT2
+uprv_openRuleWhiteSpaceSet(UErrorCode* ec);
+
 /**
  * Is this character a "white space" in the sense of ICU rule parsers?
  * Equivalent to test for Pattern_White_Space Unicode property.