WRONG TFC SIGHTED RESULTS IN CONFLICT; AND EVASIVE TURN TO AVOID.

Narrative

WE WERE LEVEL AT 11000 AND THE CENTER ASKED IF WE HAD TFC AT OUR 11-12 O'CLOCK POS. WE DID HAVE AN ACFT IN THAT POS AT ABOUT 20 MI. THE CTLR THEN GAVE US A CLRNC TO 8000 FT AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THE TFC AND ALSO ADVISED US THAT HE WAS CLBING. WE STARTED OUR DSCNT AND AT 10500 I NOTICED LIGHTS IN OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS AND CALLED OUT THE TFC TO THE CAPT. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO MAKE A 30 DEG BANK R TURN TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE OPPOSING TFC. THE TFC ALSO MADE A HARD R TURN. WE THEN CONTINUED OUR DSCNT INTO THE NEWARK AREA. AFTER LEAVING 9000 FT THE CTLR GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE TO APCH. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT ASKED HIM IF HE WAS AWARE OF THE TFC IN OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS AND THAT WE CAME EXTREMELY CLOSE. THE CTLR RESPONDED THAT THAT WAS OUR TFC WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AWARE OF. HE ALSO SEEMED VERY ANXIOUS FOR US TO SWITCH TO APCH. IT SEEMS THAT TOO MANY TIMES THE CTLRS DO NOT LISTEN TO WHAT IS SAID TO THEM. ALL HE HEARD WAS THAT WE HAD SOME TFC; BUT NOT WHAT HIS POS WAS RELATIVE TO US. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO INJURIES; BUT NEXT TIME WE MAY NOT BE SO FORTUNATE. THE MLG WE WERE FLYING WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH TCASII. I WISH IT WAS AND THIS PROBABLY WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.