Greek PM appeals to lawmakers to back bailout

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged lawmakers to approve an 85-billion-euro bailout agreement with creditors on Friday, calling it a "necessary choice" for the nation.

Addressing parliament before lawmakers vote on the deal, Tsipras said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos faced a battle at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later on Friday to avert the threat of a bridge loan - which he called a return to a "crisis without end" - being offered to Greece instead of bailout aid.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Lefteris Papadimas, writing by Deepa Babington)