Well, doing so (#PORTDIR_OVERLAY="/usr/local/portage") I did get a different error message. Same spot, but now Portage tells me:

################## Build debug ##################
 *
 * ERROR: app-office/abiword-2.6.4 failed.
 * Call stack:
 *               ebuild.sh, line   49:  Called src_compile
 *             environment, line 3299:  Called gnome2_src_compile
 *             environment, line 2312:  Called die
 * The specific snippet of code:
 *       emake || die "compile failure"
 *  The die message:
 *   compile failure
 *
 * If you need support, post the topmost build error, and the call stack if relevant.
 * A complete build log is located at '/var/tmp/portage/app-office/abiword-2.6.4/temp/build.log'.
 * The ebuild environment file is located at '/var/tmp/portage/app-office/abiword-2.6.4/temp/environment'.
 * This ebuild used the following eclasses from overlays:
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/alternatives.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/eutils.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/multilib.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/toolchain-funcs.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/portability.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/gnome2.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/fdo-mime.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/libtool.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/gnome.org.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/gnome2-utils.eclass
 *   /usr/portage/eclass/versionator.eclass
 *
################## End of build debug ##################

Ideas, anyone?
Liviu