[mod_python] Problem with mod_python and trac using xmlrpcplugin

Hello,

I'm running into a strange problem using trac with mod_python on apache.

First of my enviroment:
Linux Suse 9.3,
Apache 2.0.53,
Trac 0.10.3, (XmpRpcPlugin 0.1)
Mod_python 3.3.1

Running trac through the webfrontend works fine and I have no issues 
with it but whenever I use the xmlrpcplugin to update a ticket in trac 
and then try to reread the updated ticket i see the following error in 
the apache log:

python_handler: Can't get/create interpreter.

My python sys.path is:
/usr/share/trac
/usr/lib/python2.4
/usr/local/lib/svn-python
/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/setuptools-0.6c5-py2.4.egg
/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/TracWebAdmin-0.1.2dev_r4429-py2.4.egg
/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/TracXMLRPC-0.1-py2.4.egg
/usr/lib/python24.zip
/usr/lib/python2.4
/usr/lib/python2.4/plat-linux2
/usr/lib/python2.4/lib-tk
/usr/lib/python2.4/lib-dynload
/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages

my path is:
/usr/local/sbin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin

both retreived through the mod_python.testhandler

I googled the above error but only found stuff related to windows and 
that it has something to do with permissions but I'm unable to see how 
this relates to my enviroment. I checked if python directory can be read 
by the apache user and it can.
I also asked at the mylar newsgroup (mylar is the client calling the 
xmlrpcplugin) and the author of xmlrpcplugin both telling me that it has 
nothing to do with their code.

Can anybody tell me how I can solve this?

thanks for any help

Stefan

P.S.: I only have a rudimentary knowledge of python or mod_python.