WHILE ON ZMP FREQ A POTENTIAL CONFLICT OCCURS BTWN 2 CL65'S ON VISUALS FROM THE N TO RWY 17 AT CWA.

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WE WERE APCHING THE CWA ARPT FROM THE NW. APPROX 30 MI N; THE AIR TFC CTLR (ZMP) TOLD US TO SLOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AS WE WOULD BE #2 FOR THE ARPT. I SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO 225 KIAS. APPROX 15 MI N THE CTLR TOLD US AGAIN TO SLOW AS MUCH AS PRACTICAL; I THEN CONFIGURED TO FLAPS 20 DEGS AND 180 KIAS. THE CTLR NEVER ADVISED US AS TO WHERE THE TFC WE WERE FOLLOWING WAS. THE AIR TFC CTLR TOLD US TO START OUR BASE FOR RWY 17 AND MAINTAIN 3500 FT. AS WE WERE ABOUT 5 MI N OF THE FIELD (ABOUT TO FLY THROUGH THE FINAL APCH COURSE FOR RWY 17) THE CTLR CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 17 AND TOLD US TO CONTACT THE CWA TWR. JUST AS WE WERE CONTACTING THE TWR OUR TCASII GAVE US A TFC ALERT. I LOOKED AT THE TCASII AND IT SHOWED SOMEONE LESS THAN 1 MI IN FRONT AND 900 FT BELOW US. I LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAW ACR Y CRJ DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. WE WERE DSNDING AT ABOUT 1500 FPM AND HAD WE CONTINUED TO TURN FINAL; A MID-AIR COLLISION WOULD HAVE BEEN IMMINENT. THE TWR RESPONDED AND TOLD US THAT THE SPACING DIDN'T LOOK GOOD AND THAT THE APCH PROBABLY WASN'T GOING TO WORK BUT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. I IMMEDIATELY START A L TURN AND FLEW E FOR A COUPLE MI AND THEN STARTED A R TURN BACK TOWARDS THE ARPT. NOW ENTERING A L BASE FOR RWY 17; I COULD SEE THE ACR Y CRJ ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN ON THE RWY. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THIS SIT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN PREVENTED HAD THE ZMP TOLD US ABOUT THE OTHER TFC; OTHER THAN SAYING THAT WE WERE #2 FOR THE FIELD. NOT ONCE DID WE GET A POS RPT ON THE OTHER CRJ UNTIL OUR TCASII GAVE US THE TA. THE ZMP CTLR COULD HAVE VECTORED US N OF THE ARPT AND SHOULDN'T HAVE CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH UNTIL WE EITHER SAW THE OTHER CRJ OR STANDARD SEPARATION WAS PROVIDED.