diff -Nru freeswitch-1.2.5.3/src/mod/applications/mod_commands/mod_commands.c.orig freeswitch-1.2.5.3/src/mod/applications/mod_commands/mod_commands.c
--- freeswitch-1.2.5.3/src/mod/applications/mod_commands/mod_commands.c.orig	2012-12-07 15:21:47.000000000 +0000
+++ freeswitch-1.2.5.3/src/mod/applications/mod_commands/mod_commands.c	2013-03-31 06:21:04.140453102 +0000
@@ -3951,6 +3951,19 @@
 }
 
 #define ORIGINATE_SYNTAX "<call url> <exten>|&<application_name>(<app_args>) [<dialplan>] [<context>] [<cid_name>] [<cid_num>] [<timeout_sec>]"
+void _remove_ampersand_space(char *cmd)
+{
+	char *c;
+
+	// find ampersand, if any
+	for(c=cmd; *c; c++) if (*c=='&') break;
+	if (!*c) return;
+
+	*c=' ';	// remove ampersand for now
+	c++;	// move to next char
+	for(;*c && isspace(*c); c++);
+	*(--c)='&'; //add it back to the last char
+}
 SWITCH_STANDARD_API(originate_function)
 {
 	switch_channel_t *caller_channel;
@@ -3974,6 +3987,9 @@
 	}
 
 	mycmd = strdup(cmd);
+	// remove space after '&"
+	_remove_ampersand_space(mycmd);
+
 	switch_assert(mycmd);
 	argc = switch_separate_string(mycmd, ' ', argv, (sizeof(argv) / sizeof(argv[0])));