diff --git a/icu4c/source/Makefile.in b/icu4c/source/Makefile.in
index 0f4b3e2420e..62f2ce85c12 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/Makefile.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/Makefile.in
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #******************************************************************************
 #
-#   Copyright (C) 1998-2012, International Business Machines
+#   Copyright (C) 1998-2013, International Business Machines
 #   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 #
 #******************************************************************************
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ ALL_PKGCONFIG_FILES=$(ALL_PKGCONFIG_SUFFIX:%=$(top_builddir)/config/icu-%.pc)
 INSTALLED_BUILT_FILES = $(top_builddir)/config/Makefile.inc $(top_builddir)/config/pkgdata.inc $(top_builddir)/config/icu-config @platform_make_fragment@ $(EXTRA_DATA:%=$(DESTDIR)$(pkglibdir)/%) $(ALL_PKGCONFIG_FILES)
 
 ## Files built (autoconfed) but not installed
-LOCAL_BUILT_FILES = icudefs.mk config/icucross.mk
+LOCAL_BUILT_FILES = icudefs.mk config/icucross.mk config/icucross.inc
 
 DOCDIRS = common i18n
 SUBDIRS =  stubdata common i18n $(LAYOUT) tools data $(ICUIO) $(EXTRA) $(SAMPLE) $(TEST)
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ clean-local:
 
 distclean-local: clean-local
 	$(RMV) $(top_builddir)/config/Makefile.inc $(top_builddir)/config/pkgdata.inc $(top_builddir)/config/icu-config $(top_builddir)/config/icu.pc $(ALL_PKGCONFIG_FILES)
-	$(RMV) config.cache config.log config.status $(top_builddir)/config/icucross.mk autom4te.cache uconfig.h.prepend
+	$(RMV) config.cache config.log config.status $(top_builddir)/config/icucross.mk $(top_builddir)/config/icucross.inc autom4te.cache uconfig.h.prepend
 	$(RMV) Makefile config/Makefile icudefs.mk $(LIBDIR) $(BINDIR)
 	-$(RMV) dist
 
@@ -238,6 +238,11 @@ config/icucross.mk: $(top_builddir)/icudefs.mk  $(top_builddir)/Makefile
 	  echo "PKGDATA_INVOKE=$(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR)=$(LIBRARY_PATH_PREFIX)"'$$(cross_buildroot)/stubdata:$$(cross_buildroot)/tools/ctestfw:$$(TOOLLIBDIR):$$$$'"$(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR) " ;\
 	  echo ) >> $@
 
+config/icucross.inc: $(top_builddir)/icudefs.mk  $(top_builddir)/Makefile @platform_make_fragment@
+	@echo rebuilding $@
+	@(grep '^CURR_FULL_DIR' $(top_builddir)/icudefs.mk ; \
+	  grep '^CURR_FULL_DIR' @platform_make_fragment || echo ""; \
+	   ) > $@
 
 config/icu.pc: $(srcdir)/config/icu.pc.in
 	cd $(top_builddir) \
diff --git a/icu4c/source/config/mh-cygwin-msvc b/icu4c/source/config/mh-cygwin-msvc
index 4589e2f12f5..b6682c90420 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/config/mh-cygwin-msvc
+++ b/icu4c/source/config/mh-cygwin-msvc
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ## Cygwin with Microsoft Visual C++ compiler specific setup
-## Copyright (c) 2001-2012, International Business Machines Corporation and
+## Copyright (c) 2001-2013, International Business Machines Corporation and
 ## others. All Rights Reserved.
 
 # We install sbin tools into the same bin directory because
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ LDFLAGSICUTOOLUTIL=	/base:"0x4ac00000"# Same as layout. Layout and tools probabl
 
 # The #M# is used to delete lines for icu-config
 # Current full path directory.
-CURR_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,/,$(shell cygpath -da .))#M# -m isn't used because it doesn't work on Win98
+CURR_FULL_DIR?=$(subst \,/,$(shell cygpath -da .))#M# -m isn't used because it doesn't work on Win98
 # Current full path directory for use in source code in a -D compiler option.
 CURR_SRCCODE_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,\\,$(shell cygpath -da .))#M#
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw b/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw
index 4b8694419d3..eb25c8abbb5 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw
+++ b/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## -*-makefile-*-
 ## Cygwin/MinGW specific setup
-## Copyright (c) 2001-2012, International Business Machines Corporation and
+## Copyright (c) 2001-2013, International Business Machines Corporation and
 ## others. All Rights Reserved.
 
 # TODO: Finish the rest of this port. This platform port is incomplete.
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ LIBICU = $(STATIC_PREFIX_WHEN_USED)$(ICUPREFIX)
 # The #M# is used to delete lines for icu-config
 # Current full path directory.
 #CURR_FULL_DIR=$(shell pwd -W)#M# for MSYS
-CURR_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
+CURR_FULL_DIR?=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
 # Current full path directory for use in source code in a -D compiler option.
 #CURR_SRCCODE_FULL_DIR=$(subst /,\\\\,$(shell pwd -W))#M# for MSYS
 CURR_SRCCODE_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
diff --git a/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw64 b/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw64
index c5c7bfafdb0..1b37f293e4d 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw64
+++ b/icu4c/source/config/mh-mingw64
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## -*-makefile-*-
 ## Cygwin64/MinGW64 specific setup
-## Copyright (c) 2012, International Business Machines Corporation and
+## Copyright (c) 2012-2013, International Business Machines Corporation and
 ## others. All Rights Reserved.
 
 # TODO: Finish the rest of this port. This platform port is incomplete.
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ LIBICU = $(STATIC_PREFIX_WHEN_USED)$(ICUPREFIX)
 # The #M# is used to delete lines for icu-config
 # Current full path directory.
 #CURR_FULL_DIR=$(shell pwd -W)#M# for MSYS
-CURR_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
+CURR_FULL_DIR?=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
 # Current full path directory for use in source code in a -D compiler option.
 #CURR_SRCCODE_FULL_DIR=$(subst /,\\\\,$(shell pwd -W))#M# for MSYS
 CURR_SRCCODE_FULL_DIR=$(subst \,/,$(shell cmd /c cd))#M# for Cygwin shell
diff --git a/icu4c/source/icudefs.mk.in b/icu4c/source/icudefs.mk.in
index 54a62931dbd..652870286fc 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/icudefs.mk.in
+++ b/icu4c/source/icudefs.mk.in
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #
 # Yves Arrouye.
 #
-# Copyright (C) 2000-2012, International Business Machines Corporation and others.
+# Copyright (C) 2000-2013, International Business Machines Corporation and others.
 # All Rights Reserved.
 
 #
@@ -279,6 +279,11 @@ INVOKE = $(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR)=$(LIBRARY_PATH_PREFIX)$(LIBDIR):$(top_builddir)
 PKGDATA_INVOKE = $(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR)=$(top_builddir)/stubdata:$(top_builddir)/tools/ctestfw:$(LIBRARY_PATH_PREFIX)$(LIBDIR):$$$(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR) $(LEAK_CHECKER)
 INSTALLED_INVOKE = $(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR)=$(libdir):$$$(LDLIBRARYPATH_ENVVAR)
 
+# Current full path directory for cross compilation
+ifneq ($(strip $(cross_buildroot)),)
+include $(cross_buildroot)/config/icucross.inc
+endif
+
 # Platform-specific setup
 include @platform_make_fragment@