DUBAI, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Egypt said on Tuesday that the latest talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have failed, but it will closely monitor the process of filling and operating the dam.

"Egypt reserves its right, in accordance with international charters and accords, to defend its water and national security in case of any harm," Egypt's ministry of water resources and irrigation said in a statement.

Egypt and Ethiopia have been at odds in recent years over the construction of the huge hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile. (Reporting by Hatem Maher, Writing by Nayera Abdallah, Editing by Christina Fincher)