diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index a82a3d38..4de76076 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+Wed Jan  1 15:42:54 CET 2003 Daniel Veillard <daniel@veillard.com>
+
+	* xmlreader.c python/tests/reader2.py: fixed another validity
+	  checking in external parsed entities raised by Stéphane Bidoul
+	  and added a specific regression test.
+	* python/tests/reader3.py: cleanup
+
 Tue Dec 31 15:44:02 CET 2002 Daniel Veillard <daniel@veillard.com>
 
 	* xmlreader.c python/tests/reader2.py: fixed a problem with
diff --git a/python/tests/reader2.py b/python/tests/reader2.py
index ea2f782d..2be89e27 100755
--- a/python/tests/reader2.py
+++ b/python/tests/reader2.py
@@ -95,6 +95,58 @@ if err != "":
     print err
     sys.exit(1)
 
+#
+# Another test for external entity parsing and validation
+#
+
+s = """<!DOCTYPE test [
+<!ELEMENT test (x)>
+<!ELEMENT x (#PCDATA)>
+<!ENTITY e SYSTEM "tst.ent">
+]>
+<test>
+  &e;
+</test>
+"""
+tst_ent = """<x>hello</x>"""
+expect="""1 test
+3 #text
+1 x
+3 #text
+15 x
+3 #text
+15 test
+"""
+res=""
+
+def myResolver(URL, ID, ctxt):
+    if URL == "tst.ent":
+        return(StringIO.StringIO(tst_ent))
+    return None
+
+libxml2.setEntityLoader(myResolver)
+
+input = libxml2.inputBuffer(StringIO.StringIO(s))
+reader = input.newTextReader("test3")
+reader.SetParserProp(libxml2.PARSER_LOADDTD,1)
+reader.SetParserProp(libxml2.PARSER_DEFAULTATTRS,1)
+reader.SetParserProp(libxml2.PARSER_SUBST_ENTITIES,1)
+reader.SetParserProp(libxml2.PARSER_VALIDATE,1)
+while reader.Read() == 1:
+    res = res + "%s %s\n" % (reader.NodeType(),reader.Name())
+
+if res != expect:
+    print "test3 failed: unexpected output"
+    print res
+    sys.exit(1)
+if err != "":
+    print "test3 failed: validation error found"
+    print err
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+#
+# cleanup
+#
 del input
 del reader
 
diff --git a/python/tests/reader3.py b/python/tests/reader3.py
index 1593afb6..1affbe98 100755
--- a/python/tests/reader3.py
+++ b/python/tests/reader3.py
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ if ret != 0:
     print "test_noent: Error detecting the end"
     sys.exit(1)
 
+#
+# cleanup
+#
 del f
 del input
 del reader
diff --git a/xmlreader.c b/xmlreader.c
index 7c04a0e9..fea78cba 100644
--- a/xmlreader.c
+++ b/xmlreader.c
@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ xmlTextReaderStartElement(void *ctx, const xmlChar *fullname,
 				 ctxt->myDoc, ctxt->node, fullname);
 	}
     }
-    reader->state = XML_TEXTREADER_ELEMENT;
+    if (reader != NULL)
+	reader->state = XML_TEXTREADER_ELEMENT;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -184,10 +185,12 @@ xmlTextReaderEndElement(void *ctx, const xmlChar *fullname) {
 		                ctxt->myDoc, node, fullname);
 	}
     }
-    if (reader->state == XML_TEXTREADER_ELEMENT)
-	reader->wasempty = 1;
-    else
-	reader->wasempty = 0;
+    if (reader != NULL) {
+	if (reader->state == XML_TEXTREADER_ELEMENT)
+	    reader->wasempty = 1;
+	else
+	    reader->wasempty = 0;
+    }
 }
 
 /**