diff --git a/Lib/python/pystdcommon.swg b/Lib/python/pystdcommon.swg
index b56249791..1b0d7191b 100644
--- a/Lib/python/pystdcommon.swg
+++ b/Lib/python/pystdcommon.swg
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ namespace swig {
     static int asval(PyObject *obj, Type *val) {
       if (val) {
 	Type *p = 0;
-	int res = traits_asptr<Type>::asptr(obj, &p);
+	int res = traits_asptr<Type>::asptr(obj, (val ? &p : 0));
 	if ((res != 0) && p) {
 	  typedef typename noconst_traits<Type>::noconst_type noconst_type;
 	  *(const_cast<noconst_type*>(val)) = *p;
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ namespace swig {
       if (val) {
         typedef typename noconst_traits<Type>::noconst_type noconst_type;
         noconst_type *p = 0;
-        int res = traits_asptr<noconst_type>::asptr(obj, &p);
+        int res = traits_asptr<noconst_type>::asptr(obj, (val ? &p : 0));
         if (res) {
           *(const_cast<noconst_type**>(val)) = p;
      	  return SWIG_OK;
diff --git a/Lib/python/std_pair.i b/Lib/python/std_pair.i
index af159ff31..1f3c8dd1c 100644
--- a/Lib/python/std_pair.i
+++ b/Lib/python/std_pair.i
@@ -7,38 +7,58 @@
   namespace swig {
     template <class T, class U >
     struct traits_asptr<std::pair<T,U> >  {
-      static int asptr(PyObject *obj, std::pair<T,U> **val) {
-	typedef std::pair<T,U> value_type;
-	if (PySequence_Check(obj) && (PySequence_Size(obj) == 2)) {
-	  swig::PyObject_var first = PySequence_GetItem(obj,0);
-	  swig::PyObject_var second = PySequence_GetItem(obj,1);
-	  T *pfirst = 0;
-	  U *psecond = 0;
-	  value_type *vp = 0;
-	  if (val) {
-	    vp = %new_instance(std::pair<T,U>);
-	    pfirst = &(vp->first);
-	    psecond = &(vp->second);
-	  }	  
-	  if ((swig::asval(first,pfirst) == SWIG_OK) && (swig::asval(second,psecond) == SWIG_OK)) {
-	    if (val) *val = vp;
+      typedef std::pair<T,U> value_type;
+
+      static int get_pair(PyObject* first, PyObject* second,
+			  std::pair<T,U> **val) 
+      {
+	if (val) {
+	  value_type *vp = %new_instance(std::pair<T,U>);
+	  T *pfirst = &(vp->first);
+	  U *psecond = &(vp->second);
+	  if ((swig::asval((PyObject*)first, pfirst) == SWIG_OK) 
+	      && (swig::asval((PyObject*)second, psecond) == SWIG_OK)) {
+	    *val = vp;
 	    return SWIG_NEWOBJ;
 	  } else {
 	    %delete(vp);
+	    return SWIG_BADOBJ;
+	  }
+	} else {
+	  T *pfirst = 0;
+	  U *psecond = 0;
+	  if ((swig::asval((PyObject*)first, pfirst) == SWIG_OK) 
+	      && (swig::asval((PyObject*)second, psecond) == SWIG_OK)) {
+	    return SWIG_NEWOBJ;
+	  } else {
+	    return SWIG_BADOBJ;
+	  }
+	}	
+      }
+      
+      static int asptr(PyObject *obj, std::pair<T,U> **val) {
+	int res = SWIG_BADOBJ;
+	if (PyTuple_Check(obj)) {
+	  if (PyTuple_GET_SIZE(obj) == 2) {
+	    res = get_pair(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(obj,0),PyTuple_GET_ITEM(obj,1), val);
+	  }
+	} else if (PySequence_Check(obj)) {
+	  if (PySequence_Size(obj) == 2) {
+	    swig::PyObject_var first = PySequence_GetItem(obj,0);
+	    swig::PyObject_var second = PySequence_GetItem(obj,1);
+	    res = get_pair(first, second, val);
 	  }
 	} else {
 	  value_type *p;
-	  if (SWIG_ConvertPtr(obj,(void**)&p,
-			      swig::type_info<value_type>(),0) != -1) {
+	  if (SWIG_ConvertPtr(obj,(void**)&p,swig::type_info<value_type>(),0) == SWIG_OK) {
 	    if (val) *val = p;
-	    return SWIG_OLDOBJ;
-	  }
+	    res = SWIG_OLDOBJ;
+	  }	  
 	}
-	if (val) {
-	  PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "a %s is expected", 
-		       swig::type_name<value_type>());
+	if ((res == SWIG_BADOBJ) && val) {
+	  PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "a %s is expected", swig::type_name<value_type>());
 	}
-	return 0;
+	return res;
       }
     };
 
diff --git a/Lib/swigrun.swg b/Lib/swigrun.swg
index 1dc9f02d2..bd79d552b 100644
--- a/Lib/swigrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/swigrun.swg
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 #define SWIG_POINTER_OWN           0x1
 
 /*  Alloc. memory flags */
+#define SWIG_BADOBJ                0
 #define SWIG_OLDOBJ                1
 #define SWIG_NEWOBJ                2