gettext 0.26 - autotoreconf fails

[andyrtr]

Running autoreconf -vfi fails

patching file Makefile.am
autoreconf: export WARNINGS=
autoreconf: Entering directory '.'
autoreconf: running: autopoint --force
autopoint: *** AM_GNU_GETTEXT without 'external' argument is no longer supported in version 0.20
autopoint: *** Stop.
autoreconf: error: autopoint failed with exit status: 1

autoconf 2.72 / gettext 0.26

The ./bootstrap script seems to pass on but its steps called from build script also fail and require || /bin/true to continue the build.

patching file Makefile.am
autopoint: *** AM_GNU_GETTEXT without 'external' argument is no longer supported in version 0.20
autopoint: *** Stop.
configure.ac:4: warning: macro 'AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION' not found in library
configure.ac:6: warning: macro 'AM_GNU_GETTEXT' not found in library
configure.ac:5: error: macro AM_GNU_GETTEXT is not defined; is a m4 file missing?
/usr/share/aclocal/ax_require_defined.m4:35: AX_REQUIRE_DEFINED is expanded from...
configure.ac:5: the top level
autom4te: error: /usr/bin/m4 failed with exit status: 1
aclocal: error: autom4te failed with exit status: 1
aclocal.m4:17: warning: this file was generated for autoconf 2.71.
You have another version of autoconf.  It may work, but is not guaranteed to.
If you have problems, you may need to regenerate the build system entirely.
To do so, use the procedure documented by the package, typically 'autoreconf'.
configure.ac:3: error: version mismatch.  This is Automake 1.18.1,
configure.ac:3: but the definition used by this AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
configure.ac:3: comes from Automake 1.16.5.  You should run
configure.ac:3: autoreconf -f (or otherwise erase all old files, run
configure.ac:3: aclocal to recreate aclocal.m4, and rerun automake).
aclocal.m4:17: warning: this file was generated for autoconf 2.71.
You have another version of autoconf.  It may work, but is not guaranteed to.
If you have problems, you may need to regenerate the build system entirely.
To do so, use the procedure documented by the package, typically 'autoreconf'.
configure.ac:20: warning: The macro 'AC_HELP_STRING' is obsolete.
configure.ac:20: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:204: AC_HELP_STRING is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:1553: AC_ARG_WITH is expanded from...
configure.ac:20: the top level
configure.ac:65: warning: The macro 'AC_HELP_STRING' is obsolete.
configure.ac:65: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:204: AC_HELP_STRING is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:1553: AC_ARG_WITH is expanded from...
configure.ac:65: the top level
configure.ac:101: warning: The macro 'AC_HELP_STRING' is obsolete.
configure.ac:101: You should run autoupdate.
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:204: AC_HELP_STRING is expanded from...
./lib/autoconf/general.m4:1553: AC_ARG_WITH is expanded from...
configure.ac:101: the top level