  Stimulated by the results of NMR experiments with superfluid $^3$He in
"nematically ordered" aerogel [1] we report on the results of phenomenological
analysis of stability of different phases of superfluid $^3$He subjected to a
strong homogeneous uniaxial anisotropy. On a basis of this analysis we suggest
a form of the order parameter for the new ESP2 phase observed in the quoted
experiments. In the weak coupling limit the suggested order parameter
approaches that of the axi-planar phase. We discuss a possible experimental
check of the proposed identification of the new phase.
