UNITED STATES ACR B747 FLC; CLBING TO CLRED ENRTE ALT; COMES INTO CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER FOREIGN ACR CLRED VIA THE SAME RTE; OPPOSITE DIRECTION. B747 FLC TAKES EVASIVE ACTION; ADVISING SBCW ARTCC OF INCIDENT.

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ON CLBOUT FROM CAMPINAS; BRAZIL; AS WE PASSED FL320; WE NOTICED ON TCASII ANOTHER ACFT Y AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS. AS WE CONTINUED THE CLB; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT HE WAS AT FL330 AND ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH OUR ACFT. WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON OUR LIGHTS; CONTINUED THE CLB. THE WX WAS PATCHY SKIES; BUT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE HIS LIGHTS WHICH WERE NOW ON. WE THINK THAT THE ACFT PASSED WITHIN 300 FT VERT AND 2 MI MAX (MAYBE LESS) AS WE WERE IN THE L TURN AND DIFFICULT TO KEEP HIM VISUAL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 426038: ON JAN/XA/99 WE WERE ON A FLT FROM CAMPINAS; BRAZIL (VCP) TO SANTIAGO; CHILE (SCL). WE DEPARTED AT XA30Z. AS WE WERE CLBING UNDER RADAR CTL ON THE AIRWAY UL310; CURITIBA CTR CLRED US TO FL390. THE WX WAS MARGINAL IMC; AND AGAIN AS WE WERE CLBING THROUGH FL329; THE TCASII SHOWED ANOTHER ACFT COMING TOWARDS US AT FL330 AT 12 NM. I TURNED ALL LIGHTS ON AND CALLED CURITIBA CTR; BUT NO ANSWER. AT 8 NM BOTH ACFT WERE AT FL330. THE FO WAS FLYING AT THE MOMENT. AT 6 NM THE OTHER ACFT WAS AT FL330 AND WE WERE AT FL332 OR 200 FT ABOVE THE ACFT. THE TCASII WAS ALERTING US OF THE TARGET; BUT NOT AN RA YET. AT THAT TIME; I TOOK EVASIVE ACTION; TURNED L AND INCREASED THE RATE OF CLB. AS WE CROSSED; THEY WERE AT FL330 AND WE WERE AT FL333; 2 MI L OF THE OTHER ACFT. AT THAT TIME; FINALLY GOT A HOLD OF CURITIBA CTR AND ASKED THEM WHY THEY CLRED US TO FL390 WHEN THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT ON THE SAME AIRWAY AT FL330; AND WE INFORMED THEM OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE CTLR TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER ACFT ON THE AIRWAY. AT THAT MOMENT THE FOREIGN ACR TALKED TO THE CTLR AND CONFIRMED WHAT JUST HAPPENED. THEY WERE GOING FROM CORDOBA; ARGENTINA TO SAO PAULO; BRAZIL. THE CTLR DIDN'T ANSWER US AND ANOTHER CTLR CAME ON THE FREQ WHO SPOKE PERFECT ENGLISH; AND WE TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED. THEN HE XFERRED US TO ANOTHER FREQ AND HE TALKED TO THE FOREIGN ACR IN SPANISH. WE COMMUNICATED WITH THE FOREIGN ACR AND WE AGREED TO FILE A RPT.