diff --git a/C/load_dl.c b/C/load_dl.c
index 3df84d0a2..49a360667 100644
--- a/C/load_dl.c
+++ b/C/load_dl.c
@@ -44,9 +44,32 @@ LoadForeign(StringList ofiles, StringList libs,
 	       char *proc_name,	YapInitProc *init_proc)
 {
 
+  while (libs) {
+
+    if (!Yap_TrueFileName(libs->s, Yap_FileNameBuf, TRUE)) {
+      /* use LD_LIBRARY_PATH */
+      strncpy(Yap_FileNameBuf, libs->s, YAP_FILENAME_MAX);
+    }
+
+#ifdef __osf__
+    if((libs->handle=dlopen(Yap_FileNameBuf,RTLD_LAZY)) == NULL)
+#else
+    if((libs->handle=dlopen(Yap_FileNameBuf,RTLD_LAZY|RTLD_GLOBAL)) == NULL)
+#endif
+    {
+      strcpy(Yap_ErrorSay,dlerror());
+    fprintf(stderr,"f=%s\n",Yap_ErrorSay);
+      return LOAD_FAILLED;
+    }
+    libs = libs->next;
+  }
+
   while (ofiles) {
     void *handle;
 
+  /* load libraries first so that their symbols are available to
+     other routines */
+
     /* dlopen wants to follow the LD_CONFIG_PATH */
     if (!Yap_TrueFileName(ofiles->s, Yap_FileNameBuf, TRUE)) {
       strcpy(Yap_ErrorSay, "%% Trying to open unexisting file in LoadForeign");
@@ -76,29 +99,6 @@ LoadForeign(StringList ofiles, StringList libs,
     return LOAD_FAILLED;
   }
 
-  /* load libraries first so that their symbols are available to
-     other routines */
-  while (libs) {
-
-    if (libs->s[0] == '-') {
-      strcpy(Yap_FileNameBuf,"lib");
-      strcat(Yap_FileNameBuf,libs->s+2);
-      strcat(Yap_FileNameBuf,".so");
-    } else {
-      strcpy(Yap_FileNameBuf,libs->s);
-    }
-
-#ifdef __osf__
-    if((libs->handle=dlopen(Yap_FileNameBuf,RTLD_LAZY)) == NULL)
-#else
-    if((libs->handle=dlopen(Yap_FileNameBuf,RTLD_LAZY|RTLD_GLOBAL)) == NULL)
-#endif
-    {
-      strcpy(Yap_ErrorSay,dlerror());
-      return LOAD_FAILLED;
-    }
-    libs = libs->next;
-  }
   return LOAD_SUCCEEDED;
 }
 
diff --git a/changes-5.1.html b/changes-5.1.html
index ed4c8daf7..cbee20276 100644
--- a/changes-5.1.html
+++ b/changes-5.1.html
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 
 <h2>Yap-5.1.2:</h2>
 <ul>
+<li> NEW: matlab interface.</li>
+<li> FIXED: search for libraries right.</li>
 <li> FIXED: alarm used alarm(2) but it should use setitimer(2) so that
 timeout can work with millisecs (obs from Bernd Gutmann).</li>
 <li> FIXED: add . to -g goal (obs from Paulo Moura).</li>
diff --git a/library/matlab.yap b/library/matlab.yap
index 4fbc84c8f..932d468ab 100644
--- a/library/matlab.yap
+++ b/library/matlab.yap
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 
 :- ensure_loaded(library(lists)).
 
-:- load_foreign_files([matlab], ['/s/pkg/matlab/7r14sp3/bin/glnx86/libeng.so','/s/pkg/matlab/7r14sp3/bin/glnx86/libmx.so','/s/pkg/matlab/7r14sp3/bin/glnx86/libut.so'], init_matlab).
+:- load_foreign_files([matlab], ['eng','mx','ut'], init_matlab).
 
 matlab_eval_sequence(S) :-
 	atomic_concat(S,S1),
diff --git a/pl/load_foreign.yap b/pl/load_foreign.yap
index 5b54a38d6..aa02e0d66 100644
--- a/pl/load_foreign.yap
+++ b/pl/load_foreign.yap
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@
 
 load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry) :-
 	'$check_objs_for_load_foreign_files'(Objs,NewObjs,load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry)),
-	'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry)),
+	'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,NewLibs,load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry)),
 	'$check_entry_for_load_foreign_files'(Entry,load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry)),
-	'$load_foreign_files'(NewObjs,Libs,Entry).
+	'$load_foreign_files'(NewObjs,NewLibs,Entry).
 
 '$check_objs_for_load_foreign_files'(V,_,G) :- var(V), !,
 	'$do_error'(instantiation_error,G).
@@ -39,21 +39,48 @@ load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry) :-
 '$check_obj_for_load_foreign_files'(Obj,_,G) :-
 	'$do_error'(type_error(atom,Obj),G).
 
-'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(V,G) :- var(V), !,
+'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(V,_,G) :- var(V), !,
 	'$do_error'(instantiation_error,G).
-'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'([],_) :- !.
-'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'([Lib|Libs],G) :- !,
-	'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,G),
-	'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,G).
-'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,G) :-
+'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'([],[],_) :- !.
+'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'([Lib|Libs],[NLib|NLibs],G) :- !,
+	'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,NLib,G),
+	'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,NLibs,G).
+'$check_libs_for_load_foreign_files'(Libs,_,G) :-
 	'$do_error'(type_error(list,Libs),G).
 
-'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(V,G) :- var(V), !,
+'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(V,_,G) :- var(V), !,
 	'$do_error'(instantiation_error,G).
-'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,_) :- atom(Lib), !.
-'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,G) :-
+'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,NLib,_) :- atom(Lib), !,
+	atom_codes(Lib,LibCodes),
+	'$process_obj_suffix'(LibCodes,NewLibCodes),
+	'$checklib_prefix'(NewLibCodes,FullLibCodes),
+	atom_codes(NLib,FullLibCodes).
+'$check_lib_for_load_foreign_files'(Lib,_,G) :-
 	'$do_error'(type_error(atom,Lib),G).
 
+'$process_obj_suffix'(ObjCodes,ObjCodes) :-
+	'$obj_suffix'(ObjSuffix),
+	'$append'(_,ObjSuffix,ObjCodes), !.
+'$process_obj_suffix'(ObjCodes,NewObjCodes) :-
+	'$obj_suffix'(ObjSuffix),
+	'$append'(ObjCodes,ObjSuffix,NewObjCodes).
+
+'$checklib_prefix'(Cs,Cs) :- '$rooted_path'(Cs), !.
+'$checklib_prefix'([0'l,0'i,0'b|NewObjCodes],[0'l,0'i,0'b|NewObjCodes]) :- !.
+'$checklib_prefix'(NewObjCodes,[0'l,0'i,0'b|NewObjCodes]).
+
+'$rooted_path'([C|_]) :- '$dir_separator'(C), !.
+'$rooted_path'(Cs) :-
+        % win32 machine
+        '$dir_separator'(0'\\),
+        '$get_drive'(Cs).
+
+'$get_drive'([0':|_]) :- !.
+'$get_drive'([0'\\|_]) :- !, fail.
+'$get_drive'([_|L]) :-
+	'$get_drive'(L).
+				      
+
 '$check_entry_for_load_foreign_files'(V,G) :- var(V), !,
 	'$do_error'(instantiation_error,G).
 '$check_entry_for_load_foreign_files'(Entry,_) :- atom(Entry), !.
@@ -61,11 +88,5 @@ load_foreign_files(Objs,Libs,Entry) :-
 	'$do_error'(type_error(atom,Entry),G).
 
 
-'$process_obj_suffix'(ObjCodes,ObjCodes) :-
-	'$obj_suffix'(ObjSuffix),
-	'$append'(ObjCodes,ObjSuffix,ObjCodes), !.
-'$process_obj_suffix'(ObjCodes,NewObjCodes) :-
-	'$obj_suffix'(ObjSuffix),
-	'$append'(ObjCodes,ObjSuffix,NewObjCodes).