Process for the preparation of Oxytocin analogues of the formula I wherein R 1 is hydrogen or C 1-7 -alkyl and R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-7 -alkyl; or R 1 and R 2 together with the nitrogen and the carbon atom to which they are attached form a 5-membered heterocyle which is optionally substituted with hydroxy or halogen; R 3 is C 1-7 -alkyl and of its corresponding enantiomers and/ or optical isomers thereof, comprising treating a resin bound peptide precursor of the formula II wherein R 1, R 2 and R 3 are as above and R 4 is a hydroxy protecting group; R 5 is Fmoc; R 6 is t-butyl, 1-adamantyl, or phenylisopropyl; R 7 is an amide protecting group; and R 8 is an amide protecting group and its corresponding enantiomers and/ or optical isomers thereof, according to the method: b 1) the Fmoc group R 5 is cleaved with a solution of piperidine or 4-methyl-piperidine in a suitable organic solvent; b 2) global deprotection and cleavage from the resin is effected in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and a suitable scavenger such as thioanisole, anisole, phenol, triisopropylsilane, triethylsilane, ethanedithiol or dithiothreitol; b 3) ring cyclization is effected in solution using a cyclization agent selected from benzotriazol-1-yl-oxytripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyBOP), (7-azabenzotriazol-1-yloxy)tripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyAOP), N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-O-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)uranium hexafluorophosphate (HBTU), 1-[bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium 3-oxid hexafluorophosphate (HATU), O-(6-chlorobenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HCTU), (1-cyano-2-ethoxy-2-oxoethylidenaminooxy)dimethylamino-morpholino-carbenium hexafluorophosphate (COMU), 2-hydroxy-pyridine (HOPy) or 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) in the presence of an organic amine base selected from pyridine, imidazole, N,N-diisopropylethyl amine, triethylamine, N-methylmorpholine, N,N-dimethyl-4-aminopyridine, 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene or 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane; b 4) optionally the oxytocin analogue of formula I so obtained is isolated and purified. R 1 is hydrogen or C 1-7 -alkyl and R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-7 -alkyl; or R 1 and R 2 together with the nitrogen and the carbon atom to which they are attached form a 5-membered heterocyle which is optionally substituted with hydroxy or halogen; R 3 is C 1-7 -alkyl R 1, R 2 and R 3 are as above and R 4 is a hydroxy protecting group; R 5 is Fmoc; R 6 is t-butyl, 1-adamantyl, or phenylisopropyl; R 7 is an amide protecting group; and R 8 is an amide protecting group b 1) the Fmoc group R 5 is cleaved with a solution of piperidine or 4-methyl-piperidine in a suitable organic solvent; b 2) global deprotection and cleavage from the resin is effected in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and a suitable scavenger such as thioanisole, anisole, phenol, triisopropylsilane, triethylsilane, ethanedithiol or dithiothreitol; b 3) ring cyclization is effected in solution using a cyclization agent selected from benzotriazol-1-yl-oxytripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyBOP), (7-azabenzotriazol-1-yloxy)tripyrrolidinophosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyAOP), N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-O-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)uranium hexafluorophosphate (HBTU), 1-[bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium 3-oxid hexafluorophosphate (HATU), O-(6-chlorobenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HCTU), (1-cyano-2-ethoxy-2-oxoethylidenaminooxy)dimethylamino-morpholino-carbenium hexafluorophosphate (COMU), 2-hydroxy-pyridine (HOPy) or 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM) in the presence of an organic amine base selected from pyridine, imidazole, N,N-diisopropylethyl amine, triethylamine, N-methylmorpholine, N,N-dimethyl-4-aminopyridine, 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene or 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane; b 4) optionally the oxytocin analogue of formula I so obtained is isolated and purified.