diff --git a/fetch.xml b/fetch.xml
index 7ace5391d..6ce2e56ef 100644
--- a/fetch.xml
+++ b/fetch.xml
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
   <!-- load in our properties table -->
   <property file="${lib.dir}/libraries.properties"/>
 
+  <import file="get-m2.xml" />
 
   <target name="pick-dest">
     <condition property="dest.dir"
@@ -75,60 +76,7 @@
   </target>
 
 
-  <target name="probe-m2" depends="pick-dest">
-    <!-- Look for M2 ant tasks in our classpath-->
-    <property name="m2.artifact" location="${dest.dir}/${m2.jar.name}"/>
-    <available property="m2.antlib.found"
-      resource="org/apache/maven/artifact/ant/antlib.xml" />
-    <condition property="m2.antlib.typefound">
-      <typefound name="antlib:org.apache.maven.artifact.ant:artifact" />
-    </condition>
-  </target>
-
-
-  <target name="download-m2" depends="probe-m2,pick-dest" unless="m2.antlib.found">
-    <!-- fetch M2 ant tasks into our repository, if it is not there-->
-    <get src="${m2.antlib.url}"
-      dest="${m2.artifact}"
-      verbose="true"
-      usetimestamp="false"/>
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="dont-validate-m2-checksum" depends="probe-m2"
-          if="m2.antlib.found">
-    <property name="checksum.equal" value="true" />
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="validate-m2-checksum"
-          depends="download-m2,dont-validate-m2-checksum"
-          if="m2.sha1.checksum" unless="m2.antlib.found">
-    <checksum file="${m2.artifact}"
-        algorithm="SHA"
-        property="${m2.sha1.checksum}"
-        verifyProperty="checksum.equal"/>
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="checksum-mismatch" depends="validate-m2-checksum"
-          unless="checksum.equal" if="m2.sha1.checksum">
-    <delete file="${m2.artifact}"/>
-    <fail >
-      Failed to verify the downloaded file ${m2.antlib.url}" against the checksum
-      coded into libraries.properties.
-      The local copy has been deleted, for security reasons
-    </fail>
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="checksum-match" depends="checksum-mismatch"
-          unless="checksum.equal">
-    <fail status="0">
-      The Maven2 JAR has been installed; rerun Ant to load it.
-    </fail>
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="get-m2" depends="checksum-match"
-      description="Download the Maven2 Ant tasks"/>
-
-  <target name="macros" depends="get-m2"
+  <target name="macros" depends="pick-dest,get-m2"
     xmlns:artifact="antlib:org.apache.maven.artifact.ant">
 
     <macrodef name="f2">
@@ -160,10 +108,7 @@
 
 
   <!-- any init stuff -->
-  <target name="init" depends="pick-dest,macros" >
-
-  </target>
-
+  <target name="init" depends="macros" />
 
 
   <target name="diag" depends="init">
diff --git a/get-m2.xml b/get-m2.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..16a32e6c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/get-m2.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+
+<!--
+  =======================================================================
+   Build file to fetch maven2 tasks; extracted from (Ant's) fetch.xml
+
+   Copyright (c) 2005-2006 The Apache Software Foundation.  All rights
+   reserved.
+
+  =======================================================================
+-->
+<project name="get-m2" default="get-m2" basedir=".">
+
+<description>
+  This build file downloads the Maven2 Ant tasks,
+  and installs them in the location specified by the dest.dir property.
+
+  You may need to set proxy settings. On Java1.5, Ant tries to get
+  this from the OS, unless you use the -noproxy option.
+
+  Proxies can be configured manually setting the JVM proxy values in the
+  ANT_OPTS environment variable.
+
+  For example, to set the proxy up in the tcsh shell, the command would be
+  something like:
+
+  For csh/tcsh:
+    setenv ANT_OPTS "-Dhttp.proxyHost=proxy -Dhttp.proxyPort=8080"
+  For bash:
+    export ANT_OPTS="-Dhttp.proxyHost=proxy -Dhttp.proxyPort=8080"
+  For Windows, set the environment variable in the appropriate dialog box
+  and open a new console. or, by hand
+    set ANT_OPTS = -Dhttp.proxyHost=proxy -Dhttp.proxyPort=8080
+</description>
+
+  <property file="get-m2.properties" />
+
+  <property name="m2.antlib.resource"
+            value="org/apache/maven/artifact/ant/antlib.xml" />
+
+  <property name="m2.antlib.uri"
+            value="antlib:org.apache.maven.artifact.ant" />
+
+  <macrodef name="require">
+    <attribute name="property" />
+    <sequential>
+      <fail unless="@{property}">$${@{property}} not specified</fail>
+    </sequential>
+  </macrodef>
+
+  <target name="probe-m2">
+    <require property="dest.dir" />
+    <require property="m2.jar.name" />
+
+    <!-- Look for M2 ant tasks in our classpath-->
+    <property name="m2.artifact" location="${dest.dir}/${m2.jar.name}" />
+    <available property="m2.antlib.found" resource="${m2.antlib.resource}" />
+    <condition property="m2.antlib.typefound">
+      <typefound name="${m2.antlib.uri}:artifact" />
+    </condition>
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="download-m2" depends="probe-m2" unless="m2.antlib.found">
+    <require property="m2.antlib.url" />
+    <echo>Downloading to ${dest.dir}</echo>
+
+    <mkdir dir="${dest.dir}" />
+    <!-- fetch M2 ant tasks into our repository, if it is not there-->
+    <get src="${m2.antlib.url}"
+      dest="${m2.artifact}"
+      verbose="true"
+      usetimestamp="false" />
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="dont-validate-m2-checksum" depends="probe-m2"
+          if="m2.antlib.found">
+    <property name="checksum.equal" value="true" />
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="validate-m2-checksum"
+          depends="download-m2,dont-validate-m2-checksum"
+          if="m2.sha1.checksum" unless="m2.antlib.found">
+    <checksum file="${m2.artifact}"
+        algorithm="SHA"
+        property="${m2.sha1.checksum}"
+        verifyProperty="checksum.equal" />
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="checksum-mismatch" depends="validate-m2-checksum"
+          if="m2.sha1.checksum" unless="checksum.equal">
+    <delete file="${m2.artifact}" />
+    <fail>
+      Failed to verify the downloaded file ${m2.antlib.url}" against the checksum
+      coded into libraries.properties.
+      The local copy has been deleted, for security reasons
+    </fail>
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="checksum-match" depends="checksum-mismatch"
+          unless="m2.antlib.found">
+    <taskdef classpath="${m2.artifact}" resource="${m2.antlib.resource}"
+             uri="${m2.antlib.uri}" />
+  </target>
+
+  <target name="get-m2" depends="checksum-match"
+      description="Download the Maven2 Ant tasks" />
+
+</project>