ZAB ARTCC CTLR ALLOWED A B737 TO CLB FROM FL290 TO FL330 AND DEVIATE AROUND WX CAUSING A COURSE AND ALT CONFLICT WITH A B767 LEVEL AT FL310.

Narrative

I WAS XFERRING FROM SECTOR/POS D90 TO R90. AFTER RELIEVING THE PREVIOUS CTLR; I WAS ATTEMPTING TO ADJUST THE RADAR DISPLAY AND EQUIP WHILE ACFT #1 REQUESTED TO CLB AND DEVIATE AROUND WX. I CLRED ACFT #1 TO CLB FROM FL290 TO FL330 AND DEV FOR WX. ACFT #2 WAS E OF ACFT #1 AND ALSO CLRED TO DEVIATE FOR WX. I DIDN'T FEEL THE 2 ACFT WOULD CONFLICT. AFTER ANOTHER MIN; I RECOGNIZED THE 2 ACFT WOULD CONFLICT AND BEGAN TO ISSUE CTL INSTRUCTIONS (RADAR VECTORS) AND ISSUE THE TA'S. THE PLTS ACKNOWLEDGED THE VECTOR TURNS AND ACFT #2 RPTED ACFT #1 IN SIGHT. THE TURNS DIDN'T APPEAR TO TAKE PLACE IN A TIMELY MANNER AND HAD NO EFFECT IN RESOLVING THE SIT. SEPARATION WAS LOST BTWN THE 2 ACFT. AFTER THE PLANES' PATHS CROSSED; BOTH WERE CLRED BACK ON COURSE. WHEN I RECOGNIZED THE CONFLICT AND ISSUED VECTORS; CONFLICT ALERT ACTIVATED WHILE ACFT #1 WAS AT FL300 CLBING. I DIDN'T FEEL A CONTINUED CLB WOULD HELP SO ACFT #1 WAS CLRED TO DSND BACK TO FL290. BOTH ACFT WERE ON COURSES WITH WX DEV WHICH INITIALLY CAUSED ME A DELAY AS TO WHAT HDGS WOULD BE MOST EXPEDIENT TO AFFECT SEPARATION. AS I ISSUED THE TURNS I WASN'T CONFIDENT THAT THE TURNS WOULD RESOLVE THE CONFLICTS SINCE ACFT #1 WAS IN A CLB AND HAD TO DSND BACK DOWN WHILE IN THE TURN. I FEEL THAT THE DISTR OF SETTING UP THE RADAR DISPLAY AND THE DESIRE TO ASSIST ACFT #1 IN THE CLB AND DEVIATE FOR WX WERE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTORS; COUPLED WITH MODERATE WORKLOAD AND NOT ENSURING POSITIVE CLB RATES TO CLR ACFT #2. I'M NOT CERTAIN WHAT ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF A SIT LIKE THIS; UNLESS THE CTLR'S DISPLAY SETTINGS ARE STANDARDIZED SO THAT A RELIEVING CTLR DOESN'T HAVE THE DISTR OF RESETTING THE DISPLAY PREFERENCES DURING TIMES OF MODERATE TO HVY WORKLOAD.