CLOSE CALL; A POTENTIAL CONFLICT AT 7500 FT BTWN A DEP B737-400 ON VECTORS; WITH AN INBOUND B737-300 20 NM NE OF CLT; NC.

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ON PANTHER DEP FROM CLT; WE WERE ESTABLISHED ON A 025 DEG HDG WHEN ATC ISSUED A CLRNC TO PROCEED DIRECT MERIL UPON REACHING 5 DME FROM CLT (UNUSUAL CLRNC). ATC THEN HAD US TURN TO 060 DEG HDG. NEXT CAME ANOTHER CLRNC; DIRECT TO MERIL. TCAS GAVE A 'TFC' ALERT AND A YELLOW INDICATOR FOR A TARGET INDICATING APPROX 11 O'CLOCK POS AND 5 MI. WHILE PASSING APPROX 7500 FT MSL; A TCASII RA COMMANDED A DSCNT OF 2000 FPM TO 2300 FPM. THE CAPT LOWERED THE NOSE TO STOP THE CLB AND ROLLED R AWAY FROM THE TFC. THE ALT STOPPED AT 8600 FT MSL (400 FT BELOW THE TFC). TFC PASSED ABEAM US AT 1.5 NM. AFTER THE CLB WAS REVERSED; TCAS ISSUED A 'MONITOR VERT SPD;' FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY A 'CLR OF CONFLICT.' OUR IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE TO THE TCAS AND TURN REVERSED THE 2500-3000 FPM CLB TO A 500-1000 FPM DSCNT AND KEPT LATERAL SEPARATION FROM THE TFC. GPWS ISSUED A 'MONITOR BANK ANGLE' DURING THE TURN AS OUR BANK APCHED 45 DEGS. THE CONFLICT OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE UNUSUAL CLRNC AT 5 DME; THEN DIRECT MERIL WITH A CLB TO 14000 FT. I BELIEVE THE CTLR DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE CLOSURE OF THE 2 ACFT. LESSON LEARNED -- TRUST THE TCAS; IT WORKS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 562797: I WAS FLYING AND DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES AND DSNDED WHILE TURNING R. TFC PASSED 1.5 NM TO THE L AT +400 FT. ATC WAS IMMEDIATELY INFORMED OF A TFC AVOIDANCE MANEUVER AND ISSUED A 090 DEG HDG. WE ASKED WHO THE ACFT WAS AND THEY VOLUNTEERED NO OTHER INFO. WE DID THIS EXACT DEP 2 TIMES THE DAY BEFORE AND IT SEEMED STRANGE FROM THE START; WHEN WE WERE GIVEN A DIRECT MERIL AT 5 DME. I'VE NEVER BEEN GIVEN THAT CLRNC.