diff --git a/builds/posix/Makefile.in b/builds/posix/Makefile.in
index c7d3336266..2ee96cb3d2 100644
--- a/builds/posix/Makefile.in
+++ b/builds/posix/Makefile.in
@@ -170,8 +170,10 @@ external:
 	$(MAKE) -C $(ROOT)/extern/decNumber
 	ln -sf $(ROOT)/extern/decNumber/libdecFloat.a $(LIB)
 
+ifeq ($(RE2_BUILD_FLG),Y)
 	CXXFLAGS="-O3 -g -fPIC" $(MAKE) -C $(ROOT)/extern/re2
 	ln -sf $(ROOT)/extern/re2/obj/libre2.a $(LIB)
+endif
 
 ifeq ($(TOMMATH_BUILD_FLG),Y)
 	CFLAGS="$(CFLAGS)" $(MAKE) -C $(ROOT)/extern/libtommath -f makefile.shared GCC=$(GCC)
diff --git a/builds/posix/make.defaults b/builds/posix/make.defaults
index 1ba56ccbad..30d3010495 100755
--- a/builds/posix/make.defaults
+++ b/builds/posix/make.defaults
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ EXA_ROOT=$(ROOT)/examples
 IsCross=@IS_CROSS@
 TOMMATH_BUILD_FLG=@TOMMATH_BUILD@
 TOMCRYPT_BUILD_FLG=@TOMCRYPT_BUILD@
+RE2_BUILD_FLG=@RE2_BUILD@
 
 FB_BUILD=$(GEN_ROOT)/$(TARGET)/firebird
 ifeq ($(IsCross), Y)
diff --git a/builds/posix/make.rules b/builds/posix/make.rules
index 3afd891141..a075da8a1f 100644
--- a/builds/posix/make.rules
+++ b/builds/posix/make.rules
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
 
 # Please don't use compiler/platform specific flags here - nmcc 02-Nov-2002
-WFLAGS =-I$(SRC_ROOT)/include/gen -I$(SRC_ROOT)/include -I$(ROOT)/extern/re2 $(CPPFLAGS) $(LTCSOURCE)
+WFLAGS =-I$(SRC_ROOT)/include/gen -I$(SRC_ROOT)/include $(CPPFLAGS) $(LTCSOURCE)
 
 ifeq ($(TOMMATH_BUILD_FLG),Y)
   WFLAGS += -I$(TOMMATH_INC)
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ ifeq ($(TOMCRYPT_BUILD_FLG),Y)
   WFLAGS += -I$(TOMCRYPT_INC)
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(RE2_BUILD_FLG),Y)
+ WFLAGS += -I$(ROOT)/extern/re2
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(LSB_FLG),Y)
   WFLAGS += -DLSB_BUILD
 endif
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 928bd90998..9f3fb4dc1e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -554,6 +554,12 @@ AC_ARG_WITH(termlib,
   [  --with-termlib          build with explicitly specified termcap support library],
   [TERMLIB=${withval}])
 
+RE2_BUILD=Y
+AC_ARG_WITH(system-re2,
+  [  --with-system-re2  use system-wide re2 library instead of embedded copy],
+  [RE2_BUILD=N])
+AC_SUBST(RE2_BUILD)
+
 dnl Avoid dumb '-g -O2' autoconf's default
 dnl Debugging information and optimization flags should be set in prefix.$platform file
 dnl Should be replaced with AC_PROG_GCC_DEFAULT_FLAGS() when available
@@ -609,6 +615,7 @@ if test "$LSB_FLG" = "Y"; then
   CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS --lsb-besteffort  --lsb-shared-libs=fbclient:ib_util:tommath:tomcrypt --lsb-target-version=4.1"
   AC_SUBST(TOMMATH_BUILD, Y)
   AC_SUBST(TOMCRYPT_BUILD, Y)
+  AC_SUBST(RE2_BUILD, Y)
   AC_PATH_PROG(CC, lsbcc, "", [$PATH$PATH_SEPARATOR/opt/lsb/bin$PATH_SEPARATOR])
   AC_PATH_PROG(CXX, lsbc++, "", [$PATH$PATH_SEPARATOR/opt/lsb/bin$PATH_SEPARATOR])
   if test "x$CC" = "x" || test "x$CXX" = "x" ; then
@@ -874,6 +881,17 @@ if test "$EDITLINE_FLG" = "Y"; then
 	AC_SUBST(TERMLIB)
 fi
 
+dnl check for re2 presence
+if test "$RE2_BUILD" != "Y"; then
+	XE_SAVE_ENV()
+	AC_LANG_PUSH(C++)
+	AC_CHECK_HEADER(re2/re2.h, RE2LIB=-lre2,
+		AC_MSG_ERROR(Include file for re2 not found - please install development re2 package or drop --with-system-re2))
+        AC_LANG_POP(C++)
+	XE_RESTORE_ENV()
+fi
+AC_SUBST(RE2LIB)
+
 dnl Check for libraries
 AC_SEARCH_LIBS(dlopen, dl)
 AC_CHECK_LIB(m, main)