  The conjugacy of split Cartan subalgebras in the finite dimensional simple
case (Chevalley) and in the symmetrizable Kac-Moody case (Peterson-Kac) are
fundamental results of the theory of Lie algebras. Among the Kac-Moody Lie
algebras the affine algebras stand out. This paper deals with the problem of
conjugacy for a class of algebras --extended affine Lie algebras-- that are in
a precise sense higher nullity analogues of the affine algebras. Unlike the
methods used by Peterson-Kac, our approach is entirely cohomological and
geometric. It is deeply rooted on the theory of reductive group schemes
developed by Demazure and Grothendieck, and on the work of J. Tits on buildings
