diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index d37933b2..815ce8a0 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -846,7 +846,6 @@ if test "$enable_python" = "yes"; then
 		PYTHON_CFLAGS="`$PYTHON -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print "-I%s -I%s" % (sysconfig.get_python_inc(), sysconfig.get_python_inc(plat_specific=True))'`"
 		PYTHON_LIBS="`$PYTHON -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; var = sysconfig.get_config_var; print "%s %s %s -L%s -lpython%s" % (var("LINKFORSHARED"), var("LIBS"), var("SYSLIBS"), var("LIBPL"), var("VERSION"))'`"
 		LIBS="$PYTHON_LIBS $LIBS"
-		OLDCPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS"
 		CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS $PYTHON_CFLAGS"
 		AC_TRY_LINK([#include <Python.h>],
 		    [Py_Initialize();],
@@ -858,7 +857,7 @@ if test "$enable_python" = "yes"; then
 			EL_CONFIG(CONFIG_SCRIPTING_PYTHON, [Python])
 			AC_SUBST(PYTHON_LIBS)
 			AC_SUBST(PYTHON_CFLAGS)
-			CPPFLAGS="$OLDCPPFLAGS"
+			CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS_X"
 			cat <<EOF
 ***********************************************************************
 The Python support is incomplete and not so well integrated to ELinks