MIPS16: AS wouldn't assemble gcc output.

[Dmitri Makarov <dim at windriver dot com>]

I'm sorry I couldn't find more meaningful subject for the posting.

Here's the problem and I'm hoping for recommendations on how to solve it.
In a c++ source I have the following declaration (it's only a fragment)

template <int N> class   RWTBitVec
{
public:
     ............

RWBitRef operator[](size_t i)
{
  ((void) (( i<(size_t)N ) ? ((void) 0)
     : __assert ("Assertion failed:""i<(size_t)N"", file " "tbitvec.h" ", line ""142"  "\n"))) ;
  return RWBitRef(vec_,i);
}
     ...........
}

The call to __assert is generated to be:

$LC21:
	.ascii	"Assertion failed: i<(size_t)N, file "
	.ascii	"tbitvec.h, line 142\n\000"
	.align	2
............................................
	.size	 __cl__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui,$Lfe15-__cl__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui
	.section .gnu.linkonce.t.__vc__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui,"ax",@progbits
	.align	2
	.weak	__vc__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui
	.type	 __vc__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui,@function
	.ent	__vc__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui
__vc__t9RWTBitVec1i17Ui:
	.frame	$17,16,$31		# vars= 0, regs= 3/0, args= 16, extra= 0
	.mask	0x80030000,-24
	.fmask	0x00000000,0
	addu	$sp,$sp,-32
.............................................
$L396:
	la	$4,$LC21   <---------- ERROR
	jal	__assert

AS gives the error: Error: unsupported PC relative reference to
different section

The reason: $LC21 and la $4,$LC21 are in different sections. Comment
in gas/config/tc-mips.c says, that:

 /* FIXME: We should support this, and let the linker
    catch branches and loads that are out of range.  */
 as_bad_where (fragp->fr_file, fragp->fr_line,
              _("unsupported PC relative reference to different section"));

LA $4, $LC21 isn't really a PC rel. load from different section...
Anyway, my question is anybody working on this or can someone give me
a hint on how this should be fixed, before I dive in GAS intricacies?

Thanks.