FLC OF AN MD88 STOPPED THEIR CLB AND DSNDED IN RESPONSE TO A TCASII RA CAUSED BY A BRITISH HAWKER 700. ARTCC CTLR COMMENTED THAT HE HAD NOT THOUGHT THE OTHER ACFT WOULD BE A CONFLICT.

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OUR FLT; ACR X; DEPARTED EWR AT XX51Z ON RWY 22R FLYING THE EWR 6 DEP. WE WERE CLBING AT A GOOD RATE DUE TO OUR LIGHT WT. WE WERE TOLD TO SLOW TO 250 KIAS AND CLB TO 17000 FT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR OF 310 DEGS. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD; AND WHILE LEVEL AT 17000 FT; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO LANNA AND TOLD TO ACCELERATE TO 310 KTS. AS WE ROLLED OUT ON A 240 DEG HDG AND WERE ACCELERATING; I NOTICED A TARGET AT 9 O'CLOCK AND 5 MI; CO-ALT; ON OUR TCASII AND POINTED IT OUT TO THE FO. THE TFC WAS CLOSING FAIRLY QUICKLY. WE WERE UNABLE TO ACQUIRE THE TFC VISUALLY. AT THIS POINT; ATC GAVE US A CLB TO FL210 AND I BEGAN TO CLB THE ACFT. THE TCASII TARGET WAS NOW AT ABOUT 2 MI SHOWING +100 FT FROM US AND CLBING AS WELL. WE IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A 'DSND; DSND' RA WITH A 1500 FPM RED DSND ARC. AT 17300 FT I KICKED OFF THE AUTOPLT AND BEGAN A DSCNT AT ABOUT 1800 FPM. WHEN WE REACHED 16700 FT; THE TCASII COMMANDED 'MONITOR VERT SPD' AND THEN 'CLR OF CONFLICT.' I CLBED THE ACFT TO 17000 FT AND WE ADVISED ATC OF OUR RA MANEUVER. HE STATED: 'I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE A PROB; I SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT OUT. IT WAS A HAWKER 700 VFR.' AT ABOUT THE TIME I BEGAN THE RA MANEUVER ATC TOLD US TO MAINTAIN 17000 FT.'