/usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

[J Toll <jctoll@gmail.com>]

Hi,

For the past few weeks I've been unable to upgrade any packages.  The
process fails with the following message.  I can't tell if this is a
problem with dpkg, debconf, or libkrb53.  Any suggestions on how to fix
this would be appreciated.  Thanks

# apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  adduser bug-buddy cdrecord cdrkit-doc cupsys cupsys-client
cupsys-common evolution evolution-common
  evolution-plugins exim4-config gaim gaim-data gcompris gcompris-data
gcompris-sound-en gedit gedit-common
  genisoimage gjdoc gnome-core gnome-desktop-environment gnome-media
gnome-media-common gnome-menus gnome-panel
  gnome-panel-data gnome-session iputils-ping libcupsimage2 libcupsys2
libdirectfb-0.9-25 libeel2-2 libeel2-data
  libgcompris-1-0 libgksu2-0 libglade2-0 libgnome-media0 libgnome-menu2
libgnomeprint2.2-0 libgnomeprint2.2-data
  libldap-2.3-0 libldap2 libnautilus-burn3 libnautilus-extension1
libpanel-applet2-0 libpango1.0-0 libpango1.0-common
  libqt3-mt libreadline5 libsoup2.2-8 libtiff4 menu mkisofs
msttcorefonts nautilus nautilus-cd-burner nautilus-data
  openssh-client python-gmenu python-xml readline-common sun-java5-bin
sun-java5-fonts sun-java5-jre sun-java5-plugin
  wodim x11-common xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core xterm xutils-dev
73 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/129MB of archives.
After unpacking 1129kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Extracting templates from packages: 100%
Preconfiguring packages ...
dpkg-query: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 2
package `libkrb53':
value for `status' field not allowed in this context
exim4-config.postinst: [WARN] Installed debconf version is broken.
Aborting preconfigure.
dpkg: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 2 package
`libkrb53':
value for `status' field not allowed in this context
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)


These are the versions of packages, I've got installed.  I'm running the
etch/test versions.
apt 0.6.46.4
debconf 1.5.11
dpkg 1.13.24
libkrb53 1.4.4-5