Tsipras says Greece needs debt restructuring to exit the crisis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras repeated his skeptical assessment of the austerity measures imposed by lenders in return for opening talks on a new bailout, saying Greece needed to restructure its massive public debt. "I acknowledge the fiscal measures are harsh, that they won't benefit the Greek economy, but I'm forced to accept them," he said before a vote on the package in parliament in the early hours of Thursday. However he said the agreement included a strong commitment for a debt restructuring element. "If there is any possibility of the economy emerging from the crisis, it comes from the possibility of a debt restructuring, and that is ensured in the medium and the longer-term," he said. (Reporting by Michele Kambas; writing by James Mackenzie)