FLC OF AN LTT HAD NMAC WITH ANOTHER ACFT DURING CLB WHILE BOTH ACFT WERE INSIGHT AND POINTED OUT TO THE OTHER BY ATC.

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ON MAR/XX/95 DEPARTING BPT ON CLBOUT ATC ASKED IF MY ACFT HAD AN ATR IN SIGHT DURING MY CLB. WHEN CONFIRMED VISUAL; ATC AUTH A FURTHER CLB MAINTAINING VISUAL SEPARATION FROM TFC. ATR ACFT CALLED VISUAL ON US AND WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. DURING MY CONTINUED CLB I DETERMINED CLRNC WAS BECOMING AN ISSUE AND STARTED LEVELING AT 500 FT BELOW THE ATR. AT THAT TIME THE ATR MADE AN EVASIVE MANEUVER AND ASKED ATC FOR OUR CALL SIGN AND DEST. THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES AT HAND IN THIS SCENARIO THE FIRST BEGINNING WITH MY ACFT. THE ATR CLOSED ON MY ACFT MUCH FASTER THAN I ANTICIPATED. ATC; I FELT; HAD AN ABILITY TO LOOK AT ANGLES AND CLOSURES AND ALLOWED THE CLB WHICH I ASSUMED LOOK OK TO ATC AND THEREFORE DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE BEFORE MENTIONED CLOSURE RATE. THE ATR CALLED VISUAL AND WAS GAINING FROM MY 4 O'CLOCK POS AND I ASSUMED WOULD ALSO AID IN SEPARATION AS DIRECTED 'MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION.' I ALSO FELT HE WAS IN A BETTER POS TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION AND WOULD. BAD ASSUMPTION ON MY PART. IN CONCLUSION I FEEL EVERYONE CONTRIBUTED IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER. THE AIR WAS SMOOTH AND THERE WAS NO REAL NEED FOR ME TO HURRY MY CLBOUT. I SHOULD HAVE STAYED AT 7000 FT UNTIL CLR. ATC SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED POOR ANGLES AND SPDS (IE; CLOSURE RATES) AND NOT OFFERED VISUAL CLB. ATR CALLED VISUAL CONTACT AND WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. IF HE HAD TO MAKE AN EVASIVE MANEUVER AS SUGGESTED BY HIM WHY DID HE ALLOW HIMSELF TO GET INTO THAT POS.