FLC OF MLG HAD TCASII RA SIMULTANEOUS WITH BREAKING OUT AND SEEING TFC. FLC MADE TURN. STOPPED CLB AS CTLR ASKED THEM TO MAINTAIN 4500 AND TURN.

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APCHING SYRACUSE ARPT WE WERE SWITCHED OVER TO APCH CTL. THE FREQ WAS VERY CONGESTED AND AFTER CHK-IN; WE WERE GIVEN DSCNT CLRNC TO 4000 FT AND A HDG OF 330 DEG. WE WERE 3-4 MI SW OF THE VOR DSNDING THROUGH 5000 FT IN INST CONDITIONS WHEN A TCASII EVENT OCCURRED. A 12 O'CLOCK TFC POPPED UP 500 FT BELOW US AND A TCASII MANEUVER TO CLB WAS COMMANDED. WE LEVELED OFF AND BEGAN TO CLB AT ABOUT 4500 FT WE CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND OBSERVED THE TFC CONFLICT AND TURNED SLIGHTLY E AND QUICKLY CLRED THE TFC. AT VIRTUALLY THE SAME TIME AS OUR RECOVERY FROM THE TCASII EVENT; APCH CTL CONTACTED US TO STOP OUR DSCNT AT 4500 FT AND TURN R TO 090 DEG. AFTER WE EXPLAINED THAT WE JUST TOOK EVASIVE ACTION FOR A TCASII EVENT; WE WERE TOLD THAT OH; HE HAD YOU IN SIGHT. WE WERE THEN ASKED TO MAKE A VISUAL TO RWY 14; HOWEVER; WE WERE TOO HIGH AND TOO CLOSE SO THEY VECTORED US TO A VISUAL APCH RWY 10. ON THE GND; WE WERE ASKED BY THE ATC SUPVR WHY WE HAD NOT HEARD EARLIER INSTRUCTIONS? I TOLD THE SUPVR THAT WE RESPONDED TO AND COMPLIED WITH ALL ATC CLRNCS GIVEN TO US. IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER CLRNCS THEY WERE BLOCKED; UNREADABLE; OR GIVEN TO ANOTHER ACFT/FLT. NO MENTION WAS MADE TO US DURING OUR DSCNT/APCH/TCASII THAT WE HAD MISSED ANY COMS! THE IMPLICATION BY THE SUPVR WAS THAT WE HAD MISSED COMS THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US CLR OF THE TFC CONFLICT. HOWEVER; WE CLRLY RESPONDED TO THEIR INSTRUCTION TO DSND TO 4000 AND HEAD 330 WHICH PUT US IN CONFLICT IN THE FIRST PLACE. ONLY DURING OUR TCASII EVENT DID WE HEAR FROM THE CTLR TO ALTER COURSE AND ALT. THE SITUATION WAS CONFUSING AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. WE THE PLTS WILL NEVER KNOW THE TRUE PICTURE OF THIS CONFLICT SINCE THERE ARE PARTS OF THE ATC PUZZLE WHICH WERE NOT REVEALED TO US. HOWEVER; THE TCASII PERFORMED QUITE NICELY.