diff --git a/include/osgDB/XmlParser b/include/osgDB/XmlParser
index fbe682a93..4c3ac9b21 100644
--- a/include/osgDB/XmlParser
+++ b/include/osgDB/XmlParser
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ class OSGDB_EXPORT XmlNode : public osg::Referenced
 
                 size_type currentPosition() const { return _currentPos; }
 
-                int get() { if (_currentPos<_buffer.size()) return _buffer[_currentPos++]; else return -1; }
+                int get() { if (_currentPos<_buffer.size()) return static_cast<unsigned char>(_buffer[_currentPos++]); else return -1; }
 
-                int operator [] (size_type i) const { if ((_currentPos+i)<_buffer.size()) return _buffer[_currentPos+i]; else return -1; }
+                int operator [] (size_type i) const { if ((_currentPos+i)<_buffer.size()) return static_cast<unsigned char>(_buffer[_currentPos+i]); else return -1; }
 
                 void operator ++ () { if (_currentPos<_buffer.size()) ++_currentPos; }
 
@@ -129,12 +129,56 @@ class OSGDB_EXPORT XmlNode : public osg::Referenced
 
                 bool match(const std::string& str) { return (_currentPos<_buffer.size()) ? _buffer.compare(_currentPos, str.size(), str)==0 : false; }
 
+                enum Encoding
+                {
+                    ENCODING_ASCII,
+                    ENCODING_UTF8
+                };
+
+                void setEncoding(Encoding encoding) { _encoding = encoding; }
+                Encoding getEncoding() const { return _encoding; }
+
+                inline void copyCharacterToString(std::string& str)
+                {
+                    if (_currentPos>=_buffer.size()) return;
+                    switch (_encoding)
+                    {
+                        case(ENCODING_UTF8) :
+                        {
+                            int char0 = static_cast<unsigned char>(_buffer[_currentPos]); ++_currentPos;
+                            str.push_back(char0);
+
+                            if (char0 < 0x80 || _currentPos>=_buffer.size()) break; // 1-byte character
+
+                            str.push_back(_buffer[_currentPos]); ++_currentPos;
+                            if (char0<0xe0 || _currentPos<_buffer.size()) break; // 2-byte character
+
+                            str.push_back(_buffer[_currentPos]); ++_currentPos;
+                            if (char0<0xf0 || _currentPos>=_buffer.size()) break; // 3-byte character
+
+                            str.push_back(_buffer[_currentPos]); ++_currentPos;
+                            if (char0<0xf8 || _currentPos>=_buffer.size()) break; // 4-byte character
+
+                            if (_currentPos>=_buffer.size()) break;
+                            str.push_back(_buffer[_currentPos]); ++_currentPos;  // 5-byte character?
+
+                            break;
+                        }
+                        case(ENCODING_ASCII) :
+                        default:
+                            str.push_back(_buffer[_currentPos]);
+                            ++_currentPos;
+                            return;
+                    }
+                }
+
             private:
 
-                size_type _currentPos;
+                size_type       _currentPos;
 
-                std::ifstream _fin;
-                std::string  _buffer;
+                std::ifstream   _fin;
+                std::string     _buffer;
+                Encoding        _encoding;
 
         };
 
diff --git a/src/osgDB/XmlParser.cpp b/src/osgDB/XmlParser.cpp
index c1ca76e51..2bdfed964 100644
--- a/src/osgDB/XmlParser.cpp
+++ b/src/osgDB/XmlParser.cpp
@@ -101,13 +101,15 @@ void XmlNode::ControlMap::setUpControlMappings()
 }
 
 XmlNode::Input::Input():
-    _currentPos(0)
+    _currentPos(0),
+    _encoding(ENCODING_ASCII)
 {
 }
 
-XmlNode::Input::Input(const Input&):
+XmlNode::Input::Input(const Input& rhs):
     ControlMap(),
-    _currentPos(0)
+    _currentPos(0),
+    _encoding(rhs._encoding)
 {
 }
 
@@ -251,6 +253,11 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
             commentNode->contents = input.substr(0, end);
             if (end!=std::string::npos)
             {
+                if (commentNode->contents.find("encoding=\"UTF-8\"")!=std::string::npos)
+                {
+                    input.setEncoding(Input::ENCODING_UTF8);
+                }
+
                 OSG_INFO<<"Valid information record ["<<commentNode->contents<<"]"<<std::endl;
                 input += (end+2);
             }
@@ -273,8 +280,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
             int c = 0;
             while ((c=input[0])>=0 && c!=' ' && c!='\n' && c!='\r' && c!='>' && c!='/')
             {
-                childNode->name.push_back(c);
-                ++input;
+                input.copyCharacterToString(childNode->name);
             }
 
             while ((c=input[0])>=0 && c!='>' && c!='/')
@@ -295,8 +301,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
                             readAndReplaceControl(option, input);
                         else
                         {
-                            option.push_back(c);
-                            ++input;
+                            input.copyCharacterToString(option);
                         }
                     }
                     option.push_back(input[0]);
@@ -306,8 +311,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
                 {
                     while((c=input[0])>=0 && c!='>' && c!='/' && c!='"' && c!='\'' && c!='=' && c!=' ' && c!='\n' && c!='\r')
                     {
-                        option.push_back(c);
-                        ++input;
+                        input.copyCharacterToString(option);
                     }
                 }
 
@@ -327,8 +331,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
                                 readAndReplaceControl(value, input);
                             else
                             {
-                                value.push_back(c);
-                                ++input;
+                                input.copyCharacterToString(value);
                             }
                         }
                         ++input;
@@ -342,8 +345,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
                                 readAndReplaceControl(value, input);
                             else
                             {
-                                value.push_back(c);
-                                ++input;
+                                input.copyCharacterToString(value);
                             }
                         }
                         ++input;
@@ -353,8 +355,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
                         ++input;
                         while((c=input[0])>=0 && c!=' ' && c!='\n' && c!='\r' && c!='"' && c!='\'' && c!='>')
                         {
-                            value.push_back(c);
-                            ++input;
+                            input.copyCharacterToString(value);
                         }
                     }
                 }
@@ -414,8 +415,7 @@ bool XmlNode::read(Input& input)
             }
             else
             {
-                contents.push_back( c );
-                ++input;
+                input.copyCharacterToString(contents);
             }
 
         }